EDITORIAL:Embrace change for downtown

Want a 20% discount to your favorite Main Street haunt just for living in Surf City?

Who wouldn’t?

When we heard about this idea, a concept taken from the downtown San Luis Obispo area, our first thought was this will bring in residents who have a vested interest in boosting the economic health of their own city by patronizing local businesses. And it seems to be doing just that.

But hearing about the idea also reminded us of something else that got lost in the holiday rush. In November, the Huntington Beach City Council voted to scale back its plans to close down Main Street to automobile traffic on weekends for three months. Instead, the council voted to kick out the cars for 12 Tuesday nights and five festival weekends.

We think that may be a good first start toward what ultimately can be the creation of a vibrant downtown that is flush with families and tourists eager to get a taste of Huntington Beach.

For the record, we have long been proponents of closing down Main Street to foot traffic only. We believe that is the best answer to boost the downtown as a pedestrian-friendly destination that will attract those higher-income shoppers to the area.

We also know that idea is loathed by downtown merchants who believe it will damage their business and take away needed parking.

But what we think they really fear is change.

Pedestrian friendly downtowns or shopping areas are nothing new. A quick drive to spots in Orange County and beyond can easily demonstrate that.

How about Downtown Disney, just a few miles north? Parking is a premium there too, and at a premium price. But a visit there any day of the week will find streams of high-end customers who can enjoy fine dining, shopping and street entertainment that ranges from violinists to salsa bands and dancing.

Huntington Beach’s downtown is a far cry from that. It’s still an attractant to its seedier past and is not nearly as inviting a place for those customers who would make it successful.

So we ask downtown merchants to give this trial run a chance. Help create an atmosphere that is inviting, fun and exciting.

And we’ll make you a deal. If at the end of this experiment, the results are a disaster, we’ll admit that it’s time to scrap the idea.

But if the opposite happens, it’s time for downtown merchants to admit that change might not be such a bad thing after all.