Out of the Blue: Time to get downtown’s heart pumping

As I write this column, I’m sitting in a hospital bed recovering from a minor heart procedure. So hearts are very much on my mind.

Everyone needs a healthy one. As do communities. The heart of a community can be public spaces, plazas, piazzas, squares, malecons and zocalos. It’s the pulse of a town, where people meet, greet and exchange ideas.

But where is Laguna’s? Have you seen downtown at night during any period other than summer? That’s because, in the words of Gertrude Stein, there’s no there there. At least nine months a year it’s as vacant as the seats set aside for Ted Cruz and Rick Perry at a climate change meeting.

What downtown needs is a swift kick in the tuchus, a radical reimagining as a community nexus and a gathering place that will generate meetings, conversation and a serendipitous collision of people.

And that’s just what’s going to happen now that Mayor Can Do is leading the charge to test some street closures, just as he pledged to do in his run for the council. The council backed him with a unanimous vote, demonstrating that the days of “we can’t because” are over.

We will get a taste of how street closures engender community building Saturday during the city’s Patriots Day Parade, just as we do on December’s Hospitality Night.

It’s no wonder they are two of our community’s most popular days. On those glorious days, we subordinate the car to the human experience, somehow find our way downtown despite the lack of parking, and bask in the glory that is us: lucky, happy fools celebrating and engaging in this crazy thing called life, in this gorgeous place called Laguna, without the deprivation and isolation of the automobile.

We wave, smile and say hello to each other. And that gives heart to our town. Why can’t we do it every day?

To get community buy-in, Mayor Can Do wisely requested that four stakeholder groups work in concert with city staff and MIG urban planners to submit multiple proposals by the end of April, so council can vote and perhaps launch these trial closures by the start of summer.

Councilman Kelly Boyd wisely lobbied for extending the trial through high and low seasons so we would get a thorough read on what’s working and when. Just the way Mayor Michael Bloomberg implemented wildly successful pedestrian spaces on some of the world’s busiest, most congested streets in New York. He recognized that changing streets on a temporary basis required nothing more than paint and planters — which can easily be removed if the plan doesn’t work.

So now imagine a Forest Avenue devoid of cars lining the curbs. No more gridlock backing onto Coast Highway. And instead imagine café tables spilling out from 230, Brussels Bistro, Alessa, and Scandia. You could actually dine and bask in our brilliant California sun and have conversations at a normal decibel.

You might prefer to sit for free in one of many chairs or benches located where the cars used to be. And play a game of chess or backgammon. Or just spend a moment with friends or even tourists you happen to meet. And let your kids run free.

This won’t be a drunken party like the last time Forest was closed. This time it will be a beautiful plaza where sober people linger, browse stores and spend more money.

And before all you sedentary, convenience savants freak out at the prospect of losing those 40 parking spots in front of your favorite stores, consider this: Walking is actually good for you. And nine months of the year, most would agree, there is no parking problem anyway.

This could be a watershed event for downtown Laguna, ditching the cars in favor of our feet and sheet metal in favor of humanity. If you’ve been to France, you know that what makes life so vibrant is the café culture. People in winter brave frigid temperatures to sit side by side at cafes, sipping Pernod and watching the wonder of the world pass by.

We don’t have to suffer through the cold. We just have to have the will to make the change. And then the transformation of Laguna’s downtown will warm all of our hearts. See you Saturday.

BILLY FRIED has a radio show on KX93.5 from 8 to 10 p.m. Thursdays called “Laguna Talks.” He is the chief experience officer of La Vida Laguna and member of the board of Transition Laguna. He can be reached at [email protected].