Problem #1: State Street is moribund. Commercial space is going begging. Small businesses can’t make a profit.
Problem #2: Because of COVID-19, many restaurants and small businesses are near bankruptcy.
Problem #3: When we reopen, after the virus subsides, social distancing will require restaurants to space people apart and reduce their seating capacity to the point that restaurants cannot make a profit.
Solution to all three issues: Close State Street to vehicular traffic. Allow restaurants to spread their seating onto sidewalks or State Street itself. Redecorate, repave, and replant State Street to make it more attractive to tourists and residents.
We have discussed this plan for State Street for many years. Now is the time to act, else the COVID recession will echo through the empty canyon of State Street