Main Street Streetscape Pilot Program on Pause
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
June 12, 2020
City of Brevard and the Heart of Brevard hit the pause button this week on the Streetscape Pilot
Program. Approved by City Council at its May 18th meeting the program is designed to help
retailers and restaurants respond to reduced seating and serving capacity per Governor Cooper’s
Phase II Executive Re-opening Order. The Streetscape Pilot Program converts existing street
parking spaces into usable outdoor space for restaurants and retail use.
The City began the program by installing fencing along one side of West Main Street during the
week of June 1st. As the installation progressed, public comment and concerns from impacted
businesses surfaced. Amidst concerns, several businesses shared that they do see value in and are
excited for the possibility of expanding into the public space as capacity restrictions remain in
effect. The City and the Heart of Brevard are working in close collaboration to meet the needs of
as many businesses as possible in the two blocks discussed in the May 18th City Council
Resolution.
According to Councilwoman Maureen Copelof, Chair of the Downtown Master Plan Committee,
“We realized that we had proceeded too fast installing this pilot program on a full block of Main
Street. We met with local businesses along this stretch of Main Street to more fully understand
and respond to their concerns. The major issues were the loss of parking spaces, impact on
curbside pickup and the lack of aesthetic appeal of the fence.”
Taking the feedback as well as public comment into consideration, the City decided to stop any
further installation of the fencing, remove the one section that had been installed, and begin
drafting a redesign. In order to carefully evaluate the feasibility of a larger rollout, the proposed
redesigned pilot program will be smaller in scope. A progress update for the pilot program will
be presented to City Council at the June 15th meeting.
According to Jim Fatland, Brevard City Manager, the initial fencing will be used on other
projects and a different more aesthetically pleasing material will be used in the redesign.
For more details on the preliminary redesign of the pilot program, watch the City of Brevard City
Council meeting on Monday, June 15th at 5:30pm.
It will be broadcast live at: https://brevardnc.org//livestream.com/accounts/10832559/events/9149756
Future updates will be posted at: www.cityofbrevard.com
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