The City Planning Commission of Amarillo, Texas, rejected by a 4-3 vote a request by San Jacinto Christian Academy to close two streets that adjoin the Sixth Street District, aka Route 66, reports KVII-TV.
The school wanted to close Carolina and Mississippi streets between Fifth and Sixth streets to provide more safety for students.
… [O]pponents of the plan said there are other options, like building a walkway or putting in stoplights.
“I am concerned for the safety of the children, but I think there are other things they could’ve done. They never tried crossing guards or any other thing. They just went to the drastic and said, ‘let’s close the streets down,’” said Angela Corpening, the owner of the Golden Light Cafe.
But Corpening was more upset that if those roads were closed, 6th Street may have been jeopardized as a National Historic Registration District and that would’ve hurt her business, which sits along the Historic Route 66.
“Everyday we’ve got people coming in from all different countries that read about the Golden Light in the [travel] magazines and they want to try the cheeseburgers. By losing that, we would lose that and there would be no reason for them to come to Amarillo,” said Corpening.
School officials may appeal the decision, or revise the plan.