The Voice of the Hill has a good article on the current fight over whether or not to close a stretch of 7th Street in front of Eastern Market to traffic on the weekends. On one side of the debate is an argument for safety and creating more space for visitors to the market. On the other side of the debate are concerns that closing it on weekends has hurt the businesses on Market Row by making them less accessible and less visible.
Tommy Wells acknowledges that both sides have strong arguments and promises to allow for public feedback before any final decision is made. In the meantime, however, 7th Street will remain closed despite pleas from business owners who say that their declining sales are proof of the negative impact.
Where do you stand on the debate – close or open 7th Street on the weekends?
I don’t think anyone drives down 7th on the weekends anyway, do they? I know that I certainly consider the blocks around Eastern Market – let alone 7th itself – off limits if I’m my car on the weekends, for my sanity if nothing else. I think closing it down and letting it become part of the market would go far toward making it not seem so claustrophobic.
I always have trouble parking on 7th Street anyway and usually have to park on a nearby street (and walk) or just walk to any of the shops on 7th Street. Since parking is a problem anyway, I say close the street. CI agree that closing the street would make the market less claustrophobic. It would also allow more opportunity fpr more vendors, which, in turn, draw a bigger crowd and potentially more pass-by business for the shops. Maybe a valet could work as well or 15 minute parking in front of the orange cones?
If the merchants inside Eastern Market and in the storefronts across from EM on 7th Street fail, the whole thing collapses. Few people will come to visit a flea market if EM itself is a stumbling enterprise. That’s why I give a lot of weight to the views of the merchants inside EM and in the brick-and-mortar stores in that block of 7th Street, and they strongly urge opening up 7th Street to car traffic on weekends. (1.) Lack of car traffic makes the street a dead zone on weekends compared to what it was two years ago, before the fire at EM; (2.) Years of traffic studies all confirm that closing 7th Street on weekends causes a disruption in the flow of traffic on surrounding streets, particularly creating an all-weekend traffic jam on the 200 block of 8th Street SE; and (3.) The “safety” argument is such a bogus sham that we should open 7th Street on weekends just to teach a lesson to those who trot out such baseless lies about the “danger to people and their pets” –before it was closed weekends, 7th Street was safer at 7th and North Carolina and 7th and C Street (the two intersections at each end of EM) than it is at 7th and Pennsylvania and 7th and D Street. It’s so safe at 7th and C Street
I think the street should be open. First, I give great weight to the opinions of the Market Row businesses and the food vendors that I consider to be the heart of the market. Second, closing the street doesn’t achieve a bucolic pedestrian plaza anyway because the trucks are still allowed to park there, dividing the area in half with an enormous white wall of vehicles. Third, I walk to the market the vast majority of the time but sometimes (gasp!) I do need to park there. Two weeks ago, I needed one more loaf of bread from Marvelous Market at 8 am for a french toast recipe for brunch guests at 10. I couldn’t find parking because now the east side of 7th between C and Penn is also no parking (used to be a school zone). Now 75% of the street parking has been eliminated, outside of the normal legal process for permanent closure of a street. Which brings me to my last reason, there is no reason to circumvent the normal legal process here. There are clearly two sides here and it is unfair and inappropriate for the Mayor and Tommy Wells to short-circut the process to force their pre-selected outcome.
I vote to keep the street closed…now that the stones are in place it has been a real joy to see the vendors setup there. And when the trucks return, just take the other half of the street for vendors. Really, I just find it hard to believe that anyone is looking for 7th street parking. Enough with the cars, I say more room for people to stroll.
Keep the street open but limit the traffic to those cars that are dropping off or picking up people and packages. Doing this would limit the automobile traffic but still let people drive through to recover purchases and to support shoppers. The comment above was spot on — if the businesses fail, the street dies. A flea market alone is not enough to bring life to this, the heart of the Hill.
Seventh Street at Eastern Market should be open – as it had been for more than 125 years. First and foremost, Eastern Market is a place of commerce that draws the community to it as a place to interact with friends and neighbors on a daily basis while they buy what they need for their lives.
The bricks and mortar businesses maintain their operations for seven days each week, even though they do the bulk of their gross on weekend market days. We should not consider the Market as a weekend-only festival for pedestrians and tourists.
Closing the street has meant the loss of vital sales revenue for South Hall vendors and Market Row merchants. Many of the Arts and Crafts and flea market vendors have also reported decreased gross sales.
The vendors are not there to provide ambiance for pedestrians. This is their livelihood. Crowds come – or used to come – to buy food and other goods. Fewer now patronize the Market on weekends because the closing of Seventh Street has interrupted the area’s traffic flow, eliminated loading zones and nearby short term parking, and changed the patterns of weekend commerce of the entire area for the worse.
An exciting market climate is an important asset to the community, but if the vendors’ business diminishes to the point that they are no longer viable, we will lose neighborhood-serving businesses, and the Market will die. There will be little reason to stroll over on weekends or for tourists to visit.
Opening Seventh Street should be a business decision. Nothing more.
“Fewer now patronize the Market on weekends because the closing of Seventh Street….”
Has this been proven? What about the overall state of the economy? Couldn’t it be that people are not going to spend as much on arts crafts in this economy? On the parking, are there really that many people parking on Seventh? I see lots of people come from the Metro and rarely see anybody dropped off by car. btw, I’m not advocating a seven-day closure. And what about keeping the hall open later during the week, I think it closes at five now. That never made sense to me. I know we all agree that we can’t wait for the market to reopen!
The Market hours were extended months ago. Come back one night after work and you’ll see! They are open until 7 pm. You don’t see a lot of people parking on Seventh in the block alongside Eastern because the block has been closed since the fire. When it is re-opened, the Market can finally get back to the traffic patterns we like on the weekend–lots of people walking or coming by Metro, a few driving if they are picking up a lot of groceries, and a livelier street. I can’t wait until 7th Street is re-opened 7 days a week.
thx trulee…now i know to visit after work!
Just not this week or next, until June 26. They’re moving back home right now.
Eastern Market is a nationally recognized regional food market, the Market supplies the DC and surrounding suburbs with outstanding food choices. The Market is also a regional economic engine that supports local farms and their families.
The closing of 7th street interups the important farm to city food connectiom.
The street closing to accomodate additional vendors is akin to over fishing, besides placing an additional parking burden for the neighborhood by 38-45 weekend vendors looking for vacant parking spaces in front of your house.
EASTERN MARKET WAS NOT BROKEN BEFORE THE FIRE WHY BREAK IT NOW?
The vendors will only speak in general terms but they all report that business is substantially down.
Merchant records of sales volume and average purchase show that fewer people are patronizing the market and making smaller average purchases.
Eastern Market was established as a food market, not an arts and crafts market.
The need to purchase food draws customers to the Market on a regular basis, regardless of the state of the economy. They must come every week because food is not a discretionary purchase.
Most people work during the week and must do their food shopping on weekends when they need convenient access to the food vendors, the heart of the Market. If they must park blocks away or can not pick up purchases close to the Market, they will choose another marketing option. They have.
Pedestrians and tourists may visit the market and enjoy it, but they may spend little while they are there. Arts and crafts and flea market purchases are discretionary, unlike food. The weekend vendors’ cost is limited to their stall rental. The food merchants and bricks-and-mortar stores must depend on the volume that they generate on weekends to pay the substantial overhead of full-time operation.
The meters on 7th were high turnover meters (one hour limit) and the open street allowed drop-off and pick-up of food shoppers with large purchases. There were loading zones.
Traffic flow for the entire Market area is disrupted because of the closing which forces motorists into one-way streets and onto bus routes, causing them to drive in wide circles to seek parking. This has caused traffic problems and unsafe conditions for pedestrians.