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Downtown York business owners and residents raise safety, access concerns over new concrete barriers on George Street
Summary
Several downtown business owners and residents told York City Council during public comment that recently placed concrete barricades on George Street interfere with traffic flow, loading zones and accessibility and that the city provided insufficient notice or traffic study.
Business owners and residents told the York City Council on May 6 that concrete barriers recently installed on George Street to create outdoor dining space have created safety, access and messaging problems for downtown businesses and people with disabilities.
Plant Box Co. co-owner Berna Williams Jones and her husband, Matthew (Matt) Jones, who also owns Plantbox Go, described practical and reputational concerns. Jones said he analyzed likely hours of use and estimated the curbside dining area would be occupied only a small fraction of the year and that the revenue gain for restaurants was modest. "If you do that, that works out to 900 divided by 1.5, which is only 600 table tickets a year per restaurant…so that reduces down to 300 table tickets on average per year per restaurant," Matt Jones said during public comment.
Berna Williams Jones said the barriers harm messaging for downtown businesses and raise safety concerns for people with limited mobility. "I was in a wheelchair for six months last year; having anything that could have our EMS take longer is a significant problem," she said, adding that the mayor's office had told her no traffic study was needed and that the barriers "in no way could interfere with normal flow of traffic." She said that response did not match her observations at the corner of George and Philadelphia streets.
Residents echoed those concerns. Roth Prepp said the concrete blocks place diners next to heavy traffic and exhaust fumes, that no traffic study or impact assessment was shared with the public, and that nearby businesses were being asked to pay to "beautify" spaces the city had blocked off. Nicole Young said she and other residents were not notified before the barriers were installed, that a loading zone directly in front of her building was blocked, and that the changes make it harder for people with disabilities to unload groceries or for motor coaches to load and park for group dinners.
Speakers frequently raised emergency access and ADA issues. Several commenters said the barriers reduced right-turning capacity onto Philadelphia Street to a single short vehicle and that some barriers protruded onto sidewalks, making wheelchair navigation more difficult.
Council took no formal action on the barricades during the meeting; the item was raised during the public-comment period. Members of the public asked the city for a traffic study, a clearer communications plan with merchants and residents, and reconsideration of permanent concrete installations in favor of temporary or seasonal solutions. The mayor's office had responded by email that the barriers did not affect driving or turning lanes; that response was read into the public record by speakers.
The comments in council chambers highlight a continuing dispute over how public right-of-way is used to support outdoor dining and how the city communicates changes that affect downtown residents and businesses. No ordinance, resolution or vote related to the George Street barriers was on the agenda that evening.
