A pilot project is under consideration at Sarnia City Hall that would see weekend road closures to help downtown businesses recover from the pandemic.
A proposal from the Sarnia-Lambton Chamber of Commerce calls for Christina Street to be closed on Friday afternoons through to Sunday evenings from George Street to Wellington Street.
The area would only be accessible by foot from 4 p.m. on Fridays until 10 p.m. on Sundays through the summer and into September.
City of Sarnia Director of Community Development Stacey Forfar said it's a way to let downtown business owners expand their outdoor sales space.
"The chamber is certainly open to any suggestions. They've been down there door knocking on downtown businesses for the last week and they're going to continue that going forward. They're hoping to have a good, solid approach coming in. We have a short report coming on July 13 in terms of setting that up for council to consider moving forward."
Forfar said allowing for more outdoor sales would help maintain physical distancing and rejuvenate downtown core businesses.
She said the city has made a request for a noise exemption and if all goes according to plan, the pilot project will start Friday, July 17.
The chamber will speak to the proposed initiative and the results of a downtown business survey at city council's July 13 meeting.
-With files from Colin Gowdy
