The Campbell Leadership Group, comprised of various business, neighborhood and city representatives, convenes tonight for their quarterly meeting.
According to group founder Phil Reynolds, the meeting will include recognition for two Campbell business owners, Chris Dunn of Rocket Fizz and Sonya Paz, owner of the and president of the Downtown Business Association, for their work in spearheading .
"The outcome of the change has been so positive, we want to give these two a pat on the back," Reynolds said.
Reynolds said he's heard positive remarks about the new layout, which places merchants in the center of the street instead of along the curb, a format some business owners felt obscured their storefronts and left their facades facing garbage cans and the back of tents.
"Business owners were saying they were shut out and it was hurting their businesses," he said. "This new way leaves a lot more room for strollers, baby carriages and allows traffic to keep flowing if a group of people stop to talk."
Feedback Reynolds has heard from farmers' market vendors, particularly those with large booths, is supportive, too.
"Some of the larger booths are saying they are extremely happy because they have a lot more room to spread out and they're not restricted to the curb," Reynolds said. "I haven't heard any negatives yet, so that's a good sign."
The new layout has been in effect for the last two weeks, Reynolds said. While he said this is a trial run, he is sure the changes are here to stay.
"I can almost guarantee it's going to be a permanent fixture," he said.
In other news, the CLG will also hear from guest speaker Carl San Miguel on how community leaders can use local politics to better represent their neighborhoods and businesses.
"Quite a few neighborhood leaders are hesitant to be political," Reynolds said. "I tell them that if you are going to be representing your neighborhood at a city council meeting, taking information to them and bringing it back to your neighborhood, or you want to host an election meeting, you need to know how politics works and how to use it."
