Brandon Leuallen, The Business Times

Following months of growing concerns from downtown businesses and residents, the Grand Junction City Council on May 7 voted 4-3 to end the Fourth and Fifth Street pilot project.

The decision came just two days after a tense council workshop in which newly elected and returning council members weighed the impacts of the controversial street changes.

A pair of surveys conducted by the Grand Junction Area Chamber of Commerce played a pivotal role in the decision. The data revealed steep declines in consumer confidence and business performance, largely attributed to changes in downtown accessibility and traffic flow.

Most notably, 81.3 percent of consumers surveyed said the changes made them less likely to visit downtown. Additionally, 71.5 percent said they now visit downtown less often, and 85.3 percent reported their overall experience had worsened. Only 12.8 percent said they were “very likely” to recommend visiting downtown, while over 61 percent said they were unlikely or very unlikely to do so.

“Downtown is under pressure,” the chamber’s report said. “These results paint a stark picture: Customers feel less safe and less welcomed, and businesses are feeling the strain.”

Council member Ben Van Dyke said the data and firsthand accounts were too significant to ignore.

“I know multiple businesses right now who are waiting for this decision to decide whether or not they are going to stay in the downtown corridor,” he said. “I know multiple businesses right now who are waiting on this to decide if they are going to stay in Grand Junction.”

The chamber’s business survey, which gathered responses from nearly 70 downtown operators, highlighted similar themes. More than 70 percent of businesses cited accessibility and public safety as key challenges. Many reported changes to traffic patterns and the loss of parking had disrupted their operations and deterred customers.

Not all council members agreed with the narrative emerging from the chamber’s data. Council member Anna Stout said her own feedback from the public had been mixed.

“From what I’ve heard, it’s been about 50-50,” she said, suggesting the survey might not fully reflect the range of community opinions.

However, that perception contrasted with engagement data from the city’s own Engage GJ platform. According to Mayor Cody Kennedy, the city received more than 700 submissions, and 112 were positive, 153 neutral and 407 negative, indicating a majority were dissatisfied with the pilot.

In a related context, Downtown Development Director Brandon Stam told The Business Times in January there was no definitive way to link data directly to the pilot’s impact on downtown commerce. Additionally, several businesses told the publication they had not been contacted by the Downtown Development Authority to discuss whether the changes had affected customer traffic.

During Monday’s workshop, Kennedy asked Grand Junction Police Chief Matt Smith whether the Fourth and Fifth Street corridors were high-call-volume areas.

“Our call data does not indicate a high volume of calls for service on those streets,” Smith said. 

Kennedy responded by questioning why those particular streets had been selected for redesign if safety had not been a driving concern.

Ultimately, the council voted to end the pilot, with Kennedy, Ballard, Cole and Van Dyke voting in favor. Stout, Scott Beilfuss and Jason Nguyen voted to keep it in place.

Tension over the project is evident even after the vote to end it.

One frequently mentioned business during the council’s deliberations was The Rockslide Brew Pub. Owner Uwe Phillip Kirch said he was more than pleased with the outcome in an interview with The Business Times after the vote. Kirch said he spoke with 20 to 30 customers about the decision, and not one expressed disappointment, but rather only frustration with council members who had voted to continue with the project.

“Since last year I’ve not encountered one person that LOVED the plan,” he added.

On the Grand Valley Streets Alliance Facebook group the day after the vote, Nguyen advocated for citizens to boycott businesses that spoke out in opposition to the pilot program.

“I think a list of businesses that came out strongly against this project is warranted. I’d suggest anyone who cares about safety not spend money at these places,” Nguyen said.

The Fourth and Fifth Street pilot, originally launched in 2024, will now be reversed at a total cost exceeding $245,000. This includes approximately $170,000 spent on materials and equipment at the outset of the pilot, and an estimated $75,000 to restore the streets to their original one-way configuration.

The city has not disclosed labor costs associated with the project. City staff members are expected to begin planning the street changes in the coming weeks.