Hi, I would like to submit the following articles on the record regarding Agenda item J2 for this evening's city council meeting. I am very much in favor of closing Santa Cruz ave to private vehicles, at least from El Camino to University. The articles below show that it is very feasible to close streets to vehicles, and there are significant economic (receipts and property values), health, and safety benefits to doing so. Respectfully, Gabriel Wolf * Closing Central Madrid To Cars Resulted In 9.5% Boost To Retail Spending, Finds Bank Analysis https://www.forbes.com/sites/carltonreid/2019/03/08/closing-central-madrid-to-cars-resulted-in-9-5-boost-to-retail-spending-finds-bank-analysis/#c7169d55a743 > * Tufts University: The Woonerf Concept “Rethinking a Residential Street in Somerville” https://nacto.org/docs/usdg/woonerf_concept_collarte.pdf > * PP 4-6 provides a good overview of the benefits. * Complete Streets Stimulate the Local Economy https://www.smartgrowthamerica.org/app/legacy/documents/cs/factsheets/cs-economic.pdf > * " In a survey of 15 real estate markets from Jacksonville, Florida to Stockton, California a one-point increase in the walkability of a neighborhood as measured by WalkScore.com increased home values by $700 to $3,000.16 For neighborhoods in the Washington, D.C. region, becoming one step more walkable on a five-point scale can add $9 per square foot to retail rents and nearly $82 per square foot to home values.17 This increase is amplified when walkable neighborhoods are near each other18, demonstrating the value of networks of Complete Streets connected throughout a community." __ Gabriel C. Wolf Received on Tue Jun 16 2020 - 17:09:19 PDT
