Santa Rosa YIMBY

Businesses whose storefronts are located on recently pedestrianized streets (streets that have been redesigned exclusively for pedestrians use) in two California cities overwhelmingly say the change has been good for business, according to a survey conducted by Santa Rosa YIMBY. The results point to how repurposing portions of downtown streets for exclusive pedestrian use could help bring more people downtown and boost pedestrian traffic while increasing sales, tax revenue, and overall vibrancy.

Santa Rosa YIMBY circulated a survey to businesses located on recently pedestrianized portions of Mill Street in Grass Valley and San Pedro Square in San José. Fifteen businesses in each city responded to the survey, out of a total possible 42 along Grass Valley’s pedestrianized corridor and 20 along San José’s. The cities were chosen because their pedestrianization projects were both recent so that existing merchants could give a fresh perspective on how the project has impacted their business.

Highlights include:

70% say pedestrianization has been positive for their businesses, with 33% saying pedestrianization has been “very positive”.

70% say pedestrianization has increased foot traffic on the street, with 37% saying foot traffic has “increased significantly”.

53% say pedestrianization has increased sales/revenue, with 37% reporting “no change”, and 6% reporting a decrease.

70% of businesses report foot traffic increasing since the pedestrianization project, with 37 percent reporting significant increases. Twenty percent reported no change, and 10 percent reported decreases.

See the complete survey results here.

See the complete survey results for San José's San Pedro Square here.

See the complete survey results for Grass Valley's Mill Street here.

The survey comes as the City of Santa Rosa debates pedestrianizing portions of 4th street downtown. In May 2024, Santa Rosa’s then-Mayor Natalie Rogers asked city staff to prepare options for pedestrianizing portions of downtown to make it a more inviting place for people, tourists, residents, and families to spend time and money. The issue of pedestrian space is particularly important for downtown Santa Rosa, where car infrastructure occupy more space than all businesses, housing, parks, and pedestrian space combined. It’s hard to build a memorable, vibrant urban space that draws locals and tourism when 47% of our downtown is asphalt. City staff are currently preparing a report back to City Council in June. Santa Rosa YIMBY has vocally supported protecting and expanding downtown’s pedestrian spaces—from , to circulating a which has over 200 signatures as of this writing.