GUEST COLUMNIST: Keep Chestnut Street closed

In a few years, the Liberty Bell will move. The bell will creak and groan a bit when it's uprooted, but it will look markedly better a tad closer to Independence Hall, in a pavilion that looks less like an army barrack and more like a monument for the most recognizable symbol of American freedom and civil rights. But who cares? I sure as hell don't. To most Philly residents, the bell is little more than a magnet for tourists and families with 3.2 kids. To hell with them and their history and go Eagles! Right? Hey, why should we really care? Ah, but here's the good part: The National Park Service is also revamping Independence Mall. Making it more pedestrian-friendly. Adding a few more trees. Building a kinder, gentler Mall with a more serene feel to it. You may not care about the bell. But you've got to admit, a less-congested, more idyllic Mall is a big plus for residents who walk past it everyday. But what I would like someone to explain to me is just why they are ripping up Chestnut Street between 6th and 22nd, only to do exactly the opposite of what's planned for the Mall. A Center City District plan to open up Chestnut Street to automobile traffic will destroy the very feeling which the Mall's redesign is trying to create. True, Chestnut has seen better days. The tattered, beaten-up sidewalks are a bit of an eyesore. The trees (those still alive) could use a trimming. Even the rusted, green signs are a bit antiquated. But spending $15 million to open the road to cars will do little to beautify those 16 blocks. Advocates of the plan say it will effectively revitalize the street, pumping more people through a seemingly-clogged artery of town and thus giving commerce the boost it's been needing since the street closed to traffic 23 years ago. But this isn't 1975. More carbon monoxide and fewer pedestrians aren't good for business. Neither is a smaller sidewalk. If the CCD doesn't want to get its bell tolled on this alleged business venture, then it had better think twice before tearing Chestnut up and repopulating it with noisy Fords. A better plan that will jumpstart business is already in the works just a few blocks away. Plop an outdoor cafe near the new and improved Mall, and I promise you'll land business -- and not just from tourists, but from Philadelphia residents looking for some peace and quiet. A wide-open Chestnut Street with vibrant foliage and a smooth walkway will do the same thing for businesses. And the bill won't be nearly as high as one for a repaved road. Run a trolley car along the street. Provide some financial incentives for small businesses to start occupying those abandoned buildings. Build a street modeled after Rittenhouse Square. But don't give up on a carless Chestnut quite yet. If the Liberty Bell is going to get more room to breath, we shouldn't be choking on exhaust just up the road.