The City of St. John's initially opened the Downtown Pedestrian Mall (the DPM) on July 3, 2020. In February 2023, Council approved a 3-year plan for the DPM from 2023-2025. The City is undertaking engagement to help inform a long-term plan for the DPM for 2026 and beyond.

The DPM runs every day from the last day of school to Labour Day, and is open noon to 10:00 p.m. with the area inside the footprint closed to traffic during those hours. Essential vehicle access is provided to specific areas within the DPM footprint during operating hours, including to the courthouse, parking areas, and armoured vehicles to banks. To help inform a long-term plan for the DPM, the City is seeking feedback to better understand visitor experience and gather perspectives on such things as activities and events, as well as any changes the public would like to see to the DPM.

A final report with recommendations will be presented to Council.

Photo credit: Destination St. John's

What We Heard Released

April 15, 2025

What we Heard from visitors, non-visitors, and the business community downtown is now available. Highlights of What We Heard include:

• Visitor Support: Most visitors felt the Downtown Pedestrian Mall (DPM) was a positive addition and want it to continue.
• Business Support: Many downtown businesses support continuing the DPM, though some noted benefits depend on location.
• Safety Concerns: Issues like panhandling, crime and general safety were raised across all engagement groups, with requests for more security or police presence, including foot patrols.
• Suggested Improvements: Participants recommended adjusting the season length or hours, adding more events and amenities, increasing public seating and improving promotion of the DPM.
• Cleanliness and Beautification: Both businesses and the public expressed concerns about cleanliness and the need for enhanced beautification downtown.
• Need for Supports and Revitalization: Businesses highlighted the need for broader downtown supports to help all businesses thrive.
• Parking Challenges: Many cited a lack of parking and accessible parking, with the closure of Water Street adding to challenges in the area.

Engagement with visitors and non-visitors took place from August 14 to September 29, 2024. Engagement with the downtown business community and organizations took place from January 7 to February 9, 2025. Promotional efforts resulted in 4,500 visits to the project page on EngageStJohns.ca. In total, more than 4,000 people provided feedback through either surveys, the project page, email, phone, pop-up events or meetings. Representatives from community groups and City committees and working groups were also consulted. Using feedback from this engagement progress, along with other information such as research and jurisdictional scans, City staff will make recommendations to Council on the future of the Downtown Pedestrian Mall.