Council looks at closing Cheapside | Lexington Herald Leader

Merchants and property owners on Cheapside have asked the city to close the street during the summer and fall for a more pedestrian-friendly area around the old courthouse.

At a monthly planning committee Tuesday, Urban County Council members agreed to close the street on a trial basis.

The measure must receive two readings before the Urban County Council.

If approved, the street would be closed immediately. The action would be evaluated after Nov. 1 to decide whether to continue the temporary closing starting next April 15.

Cheapside is a one-way, one-block street between West Short and West Main streets, on the west side of the old Fayette County Courthouse.

“For events like Thursday Night Live, they can put picnic tables out there. It will make it like Fourth Street Live in Louisville,” said Harold Tate, president of the Downtown Development Authority.

Temporary posts at either end of the block will block automobile traffic.

Charlie Boland, the city's senior administrative officer, recommended that the street be closed from April 15 to Nov. 1.