HOUSTON – Even on a damp dark day, Patrick Coleman can be found at his favorite watering hole.
“I love downtown,” he said. “We took the bus and the train to come here today. That’s what I like so much about it. You’re not worried about where you’re going to park.”
Along Main Street from Rusk to Commerce— tables and chairs are parked on the roadway.
“The long-term plan is a space that is really active,” Houston’s Chief Transportation Planner David Fields said.
It’s called “More Space” Main Street, originally piloted during the pandemic.
“Main Street at one point was actually four vehicle lanes,” Fields said. “Years ago, they put a train in the middle of it. Nobody has noticed the difference traffic-wise because this stretch just doesn’t go that far.”
Now, the city has given the More Space program a permanent green light. Fields believes the additions on Main Street can become a model for other areas around the city.
“If we don’t need it for transportation, let’s use it for quality of life stuff, economic development stuff,” Fields said.
Joshua Justice is the Marketing Director of the Flying Saucer. He says so far, they’ve invested $17,000 to expand their outdoor seating.
“It’s great to have this added patio space,” Justice said. “As a gigantic bar, we hit capacity a lot.”
He calls it a step in the right direction to get downtown back booming.
“The infrastructure is here, the people are here. It’s just a matter of getting a few more bars and restaurants back in here,” he said.
The city says its next step is to work with a design consultant to come up with uniform guidelines for additional seating.