Coinciding with last night’s full moon, a group of downtown Englewood businesses participated in an event they called “Moonlight Madness“. My kids are out of town visiting grandma for fall break, so I was excited to make it a date night with my wife and check out the happenings.
We had a nice evening out, but I have to say, the event itself was underwhelming. I’m not sure if Brewability ended up having live music, but there wasn’t anyone playing when we walked by. We had dinner at One Barrel (which was great) but there was little indication of any special event going on there either. The craft market at Tabletop Tap was three vendor tables, and the door to the bar was closed, so it didn’t feel connected at all to the lively atmosphere inside. I suspect the crowd inside TT had a lot more to do with the great new space and the fun opportunities TT offers every day, with not much contribution from the “event”.
To be clear, I don’t fault the businesses at all. The Englewood Block Party, held in that same stretch of South Broadway and featuring a lot of the same businesses, is one of my favorite events of the year. What makes it work is Broadway being closed to cars to connect both sides of the street and make the South Broadway Mile one cohesive pedestrianized space. Last night, I had to cross back and forth across Broadway multiple times to visit different locations, and it feels like risking life and limb every time. We crossed once at the flashers in front of Brewability, just hoping the cars will take the suggestion and stop. We crossed a couple of times at Broadway and Girard/Englewood Parkway, and both times there were 18-wheeler trucks at the intersection adding noise and pollution while decreasing visibility. One time a Tahoe pulled all the way into the crosswalk, forcing us into the intersection to get around it. Even the wide sidewalks in front of those businesses aren’t enough to make it truly comfortable to walk around in that area with Broadway being what it is right now.
The South Broadway Corridor Study has a lot to like about what the future of Broadway could look like. Still, it doesn’t include any plan that would allow to pedestrianize the primary public commercial space in Englewood. One of the big challenges for Englewood going forward is going to be figuring out how we continue to make that space comfortable and inviting for people to visit, which can’t happen with cars speeding through. Making any change is going to require regional cooperation and bold vision. We can’t let that vision be imposed on Englewood, it needs to be Englewood setting the vision for what that corridor should be in the future.
Broadway Dining South Broadway Mile
Last modified: October 18, 2024
