“Main Street Moves” Donations
Starting June 16
through Feb. 15, 2021
Sip | Stroll | Shop
• You’ve read all your books.
• You’ve shared all your recipes.
• You’ve cleaned all your power tools.
It’s time to leave your house and come Downtown!
Donate for a Strong Future of Enhanced Public Spaces
At our non-profit, we serve our Downtown merchants. That’s our job. Your job is to come Downtown — safely and socially distanced.
But it doesn’t stop there. We have big ideas that you can help with!
BIG IDEAS
An aspirational VISION we embrace is a vibrant Downtown with enhanced public outdoor spaces. While there are many routes to this vision, one with strong potential is permanently opening a portion of Main Street to pedestrians and closing it to vehicles.
We have turned over the most valuable space in our Downtown to the storage of empty vehicles: our Main Street. We would not park our car in our living room, yet we have created shopping and dining experiences built around a model putting vehicular traffic center stage. While this made sense one hundred years ago, it may not be the most conducive to a vibrant future.
The permanent opening of a street to pedestrians, in the same way as Santa Monica’s Third Street Promenade, can foster new levels of public life and a healthy, desirable lifestyle.
Ventura’s Downtown currently lacks a variety of spaces to sit with an ice cream cone or read a book or chat with friends. There is limited public space for a poetry slam or small acoustic performance unless it is designed as a temporary space.
Our Main Street Moves pilot street closure program will not only help restaurants and other merchants regain lost ground now, it will also serve as a brief experiment in the pros and cons of reimagining a city center with permanent public space.
HELP US WITH THIS STEPPING STONE TO OUR VISION
Now is the time to think boldly.
Please consider funding programs that will ensure our upcoming Main Street Moves event enjoys maximum success as a demonstration project.
The event will naturally spark conversation and curiosity around pedestrian-friendly spaces. This can lead to inclusive, focused conversations around designing a permanent closure prioritizing people over cars.
Choose your program
If you love
• Ensuring people have access to clean hands
• Bicycling to reduce carbon emissions
• Walking into a green streetscape
then please fund
• hand wash stations
• bike racks
• temporary potted plants and 18-foot holiday tree
Map of Area
You can wet your whistle and nosh some good eats at any of the participating restaurants located on six blocks of Main and California. Every shop has an open door ready for you to walk through.
