Since June 26, roughly one block of Allen Street — from the intersection with South Main Street to the municipal parking spots — has been closed to cars for a two-month pilot project by the Town of Hanover. According to the Town website, the project aims to “promote community engagement, enhance pedestrian safety and support local businesses.”
The project, which will end on Aug. 26, has added outdoor seating areas for Allen Street restaurants Still North Books & Bar, Sawtooth Kitchen and My Brigadeiro. It will feature a series of events, including a block party, yoga and live music, according to the Town of Hanover website. While some residents and business owners said the program will positively impact Hanover, some business owners expressed concern that the street closure has hurt their businesses.
Stinson’s Village Store owner Jack Stinson said he has noticed a drop in customers since the street closure and is concerned that he will not be able to stay in business if the plan is made permanent.
“What’s on the table, which is to continue the plan year-round, is absolutely unacceptable,” Stinson said. “It’s the stupidest idea. It benefits three businesses on the other side of the street [that have outdoor seating].”
Frank Pizzuti, who owns Michael’s Audio-Visual, an audiovisual equipment service and repair store, said the closure has negatively impacted his business. While people still send in repairs, only a few customers have come in since the closure, he said. He added that retail has been “basically nonexistent.”
“It’s been very, very slow in here the past few days,” Pizzuti said.
Other business owners, however, were more pleased by the change. Sawtooth Kitchen owner and general manager Kieran Campion said he and several other local business owners have been working on a plan to close Allen Street to cars for more than a year. He said he was happy when the Hanover Selectboard, which makes policy decisions for the Town, approved the two-month closure during a May 6 meeting.
“For the town at large, I think it’s a real positive step,” Campion said.
In an email statement to The Dartmouth, Hanover Town Manager Alex Torpey wrote that the project’s approval followed around two years of “open monthly discussions” with stakeholders. He wrote that more than 30 people from six organizations — “beyond the Town and business owners” — attended the last monthly meeting.
“[The project] was largely informed from really positive feedback from members of the public about the block parties, and the interest among many to have more public spaces than just on a few weekends,” Torpey wrote. “It’s a great example of dozens of people coming together, taking open feedback and trying to be creative to find new solutions.”
While Torpey wrote that “any property or business owner” could attend the open monthly discussions, Stinson and Pizzuti, said they were not consulted prior to the Selectboard’s decision and said they were not invited to the May 6 meeting. Stinson said he did not feel his voice was being heard by the Town.
“It’s a concern for me when you have a few business owners on a committee making decisions for the rest of the street,” Stinson said.
Stinson said customers have told him the closure has changed their buying habits. Some, for example, have become more likely to shop at CVS or Circle K, which have parking, he said. Stinson’s Village Store has four parking spaces on Allen Street, which are currently inaccessible.
“When people can scoot down Allen Street in a car, they’ll do it,” Stinson explained. “But [if] they have to go out of their way to get here, then maybe regular people that are here when the College is not in session will take their business somewhere else.”
Campion said it was a “little early” to know the impact on his business because Sawtooth Kitchen was closed last week due to a staff vacation. Regardless, Campion said he is in favor of the idea.
“Having an outdoor patio space is a huge benefit for us,” Campion said.
Local business owners pay a fee to rent outdoor space, according to the Town of Hanover’s website. Campion and My Brigadeiro owner Paula Fernandes both said the fee was “affordable.”
Some Hanover residents who use the space said it has been a positive addition to the town.
Hanover Bike Walk Committee chair Jennie Chamberlain said the pilot project has made Hanover more “vibrant and sustainable.”
“The Allen Street Placemaking Pilot is a great way to see what a street could be,” Chamberlain said. “Our streets are valuable public spaces, and rethinking how we use them helps us serve more people, build community and create a more sustainable and vibrant town.”
Campion added that he has heard continual complaints that there is “no real place to hang out in town.” He thinks Allen Street could provide that space.
However, Campion said he wants to see the number of people who use the outdoor space and gauge how the pilot is impacting businesses like Stinson’s.
“I don’t want anybody’s business to be negatively affected,” Campion said. “I hope that having more pedestrians is a plus for everyone.”
Campion added that he thinks it is worth continuing the pilot program “at least” into the school year. He said he would be in favor of making the program year-round, though it might be “less necessary” in the winter. According to Torpey, staff will likely make a recommendation about next steps after the pilot ends.
“Staff will likely make a recommendation about future plans to the Selectboard after the pilot is concluded and a report is presented with all of the data and feedback (probably September or October),” Torpey wrote. “The Selectboard will make a decision of how to proceed, such as weekend closures, periodic closures, seasonal closures or a permanent closure, for example.”
Torpey added that a “permanent closure” would require a vote in the Town meeting.
Fernandes said the closure was a “huge plus” for her business.
“Hanover needs some kind of space where people can gather,” Fernandes said. “Since the street is closed to cars, I have seen so many people walking through the alley.”
Monica Jerome, a Hanover native, said that Allen Street has “always been a pedestrian part of town.”
“In general, I like [the pilot project],” she said. “It kind of reminds me of when I lived in Portland, Oregon. They had a few streets like this, with the cafe lights and outdoor seating, which is nice in the summer.”
During the pilot, the Town is conducting studies of cyclist and pedestrian traffic in the closed area to compare with a study of cyclist, pedestrian and vehicular traffic it conducted in the spring, when the street was open. Additionally, the Town is soliciting feedback through an online form available on its website and through QR codes located on tables on Allen Street. According to Torpey, about 70% of respondents so far have said they would return to the Allen Street space.
Town Manager Alex Torpey did not respond to a request for comment by time of publication.
Update Appended (July 13, 12:26 p.m.): The article has been updated with statements from Hanover Town Manager Alex Torpey regarding the planning process and community response. Previously, Torpey did not respond to requests for comment after two business hours.
