Closing streets for outdoor dining

Could this block of 2nd Ave be closed for dining?

Memorial Day weekend typically marks the start of summer, but this year it happened as the COVID-19 pandemic ground towards the three-month mark, and in Iowa it is showing no signs of relenting (Lenz 2020). The State of Iowa, like many states, has thrown up its governmental hands and allowed pretty much anything to open, albeit with "appropriate public health measures in place" (see Hadish 2020, Roberts 2020). So businesses and employees as well as customers are on their own, and must choose between opening up, with all the health risks that entails, and continuing to remain closed or limiting service and foregoing income. 

One expedient has been tried in a number of cities that allows bars and restaurants to serve a volume of customers while maintaining a prudent distance between them: closing streets and allowing restaurants to use that space to serve customers. City Lab reports that restaurants in an older area of Tampa, Florida, "have overtaken several streets that have been closed to traffic in order to build outdoor dining rooms" (Capps 2020). Similar initiatives are underway in Berkeley, Indianapolis, Las Vegas, New York, Philadelphia, and San Jose. Writer Kriston Capps notes that in addition to better use of space, the virus may be less likely to spread in outdoor environments. (See also Brasuell 2020.)

UPDATE: My former hometown of Wheaton, Illinois, closed some of Hale Street Saturday ("Outdoor Dining in Wheaton" 2020 [paywall]).

Not so fast, says Lloyd Alter at TreeHugger: Despite all the reasons this is a good idea, there remain hurdles of climate, rest rooms, and partisan politics, not to mention the sheer complexity of getting this done: So many rules have to be waived, NIMBYs ignored, decisions made.... They are just going to run out the clock. It's a shame, because it could have been glorious (Alter 2020).

Obstacles noted, I ask: could it be glorious in... Cedar Rapids? We're neither a large city nor a university town, but we do have older districts with dense concentrations of bars and restaurants. And we shut a huge section of downtown for the farmers' markets. We express a wide mix of perspectives on the pandemic: Some people will go anywhere, anytime, without a mask or any concern about distance, but most people I've observed are cautious and conscientious most of the time. (A few go to the other extreme, wearing a mask while driving their car or walking their dog alone.) So I'm guessing that al fresco dining on a closed street might add to an establishment's attractiveness because [a] some people might be willing to try eating outside when they wouldn't risk packing indoors; [b] it expands the capacity of the restaurant, whatever the legal limit is now (50%, I think); and [c] eating outside can be festive.

So, with no further ado, here are three core blocks of Cedar Rapids I nominate for closing on high diner and drinker volume evenings. These are blocks where there is a high concentration of restaurants and bars open in the evenings, and where there are easily available alternate routes for motor vehicle traffic. Caveats abound.

• I haven't talked to anyone at any of these places about whether they even want to serve outdoors. It's also possible places in other parts of town might want to participate, but I haven't thought that far; this is just a thought experiment for starters.
• Any regulation of outdoor drinking of alcohol should be suspended (See Sullivan 2020). Why do these regulations exist anyhow?
• I don't know how far from the physical restaurant it is practical to serve food. For example, there are by my count 14 establishments in a two square-block area of downtown, but in that area I would close one or at most two sections of street. So some of those 14, in order to get to one of those closed-off sections, would have to carry food down the street or around the corner. I'm thinking "no," but if it's a "yes" that would open more possibilities.
• Iowa is not Georgia, but it can get hot and sticky here in the summer, and sunset is about 8:30. Shade from trees in these blocks is limited, as noted below. We're probably going to need some canopies?
• I don't know how different types of food are likely to take the uncontrolled climate of outdoor Iowa. The Washington Post Thursday cited Can Yurdagul, owner of Sushi Capitol in Washington, D.C., saying he was hesitant to trust sushi outdoors in the summer heat.

Downtown: 200 block of 2nd Ave SE. 

Establishments: Grin N Goose, Wasabi, Rock Bar American Grill, Need Pizza (currently to-go only). (More somewhat nearby.)

Offerings: American (soups, salads, burgers), Japanese (sushi and hibachi), pizza.

Ambience: Tall commercial buildings. Sight line to Cedar River. Close access to downtown performing arts venues (Paramount, Penguins, Theater Cedar Rapids).

Traffic: Average 2017 daily traffic count is 1850. Alternate routes are 1st Av and (now two-way!) 3rd Av SE. 

New Bohemia: 200 block of 16th Ave SE.

Establishments: Little Bohemia, Bo Mac's, Kickstand. (Could also, by bending the closure around the block onto the dead end part of 3rd St SE, include Tornado's Grub and Pub.)

Offerings: bar food (burgers, tenderloins, steaks, wraps, sandwiches)

Ambience: Sight line to St. Wenceslaus Church. More open space and fewer trees than one would like on 16th, but 3rd has some. 

Traffic: Average 2017 daily traffic count on the bridge (currently closed for construction) is 4770. Alternate route is 12th Avenue.

Houby Days on 16th Av SW, May 2017

Czech Village: 000 block of 16th Ave SW. Really why does this block allow auto traffic at all ever?

Establishments: Lion Bridge Brewing Co. (currently take-out only), Aces and Eights Saloon (currently take-out only), Lucky's on 16th. (More somewhat nearby.)

Offerings: bar food with some interesting twists e.g. Lucky's features "build your own" burgers (Kaplan 2018)

Ambience: Charming remnant of historic ethnic neighborhood, with cute shops. Some shade trees on western half of the block. In sight of Bridge of Lions over the Cedar River (when construction is finished), National Czech and Slovak Museum and Library, Kosek Bandstand, clock tower.

Traffic: Average 2017 daily traffic count on the bridge (currently closed for construction) is 4770. For through traffic, alternate route is 12th Avenue. Parking is plenteous on 15th and 17th Avenues SW. 

Badly-drawn map of downtown, with data from Google