Only tourists or the suicidal drive on Robertson Blvd. in West Hollywood on Saturday nights: the parking lots are expensive, traffic is immobile, and drunk people run in the street because the sidewalks are so damn narrow. So Councilmember John D'Amico had the idea to turn the clubby area of Robertson, near Melrose and Santa Monica Blvds., into a pedestrian-only promenade on Saturday nights with street vendors and tables and chairs a la Times Square. Sounds fun! But the cautious WeHo council nixed the idea at their Monday meeting, the West Hollywood Patch reports. Mayor Pro Tem Abbe Land said "that since the area was already busy on a Saturday night, there wasn't much reason for the city to try to bring more people there." Who needs those extra tax receipts? There seemed to be additional fears of the plan proving too popular, with Councilmember John Heilman suggesting it move to relatively sleepy La Peer, or to a different night. Valet parkers said no way, bemoaning the potential loss of business. The area is considering establishing a business improvement district (local owners would be assessed a fee that would go toward beautification and safety measures); councilmembers suggested the BID take on the pedestrian plan. In the end, the idea was pawned off to City Manager Paul Arevalo, who was told to study it and report back in July.
· Pedestrian Zone Proposal for Robertson Blvd. Nixed [WeHo Patch]
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