As warm weather returns for the summer, so do the yellow barriers closing off Kirkwood Avenue.

What was once an emergency response to the COVID-19 pandemic is now an expectation to the city of Bloomington. The Expanded Outdoor Dining Program is back for its fourth year. Starting April 3, Kirkwood went from a two-way street to a place for IU students and Bloomington residents to walk and grab a bite to eat. The two and a half blocks is now used as a way to increase foot traffic and outdoor dining during warmer months of the year. As of now, the Bloomington City Council has decided to keep the street closed until October 1.

The Expanded Outdoor Dining Program was originally designed to ensure social distancing during the pandemic, however, after three years, the program has now shifted as a response of what students and residents have to say about available outdoor dining options.

“It’s a beautiful thing from a student’s perspective because there’s no cars, we can roam and hang out with each other, and just spend time together,” Lexi Cohen, an Indiana University student, said. “With no cars it definitely feels more communal.”

Students seem to love the closing- they gain walking access to nearby restaurants and stores, as well as additional outdoor seating to enjoy on sunny days.

“It provides a sense of community for Bloomington residents and IU students to join together,” Amelia Elliott, an IU student, said.

Although, an issue with the closing is the prevention of parking on the street. With many businesses, restaurants, and a church located on Kirkwood, opinions are divided. Students typically live nearby or on campus, making them not nearly as affected as some.

For the other part of the Kirkwood population, parking, accessibility, and revenue has discouraged residents from enjoying the street.

“The biggest challenge with the closing of Kirkwood has been for our ability impaired folks,” Matt Seddon, the Rector of Trinity Episcopal Church, said. “There’s a lot of folks that like to pull right up to the front of the church. They can get up the stairs, but that’s about as far as they can go. So, closing Kirkwood takes away that access and makes it difficult for them.”

With the church only featuring one elevator and a handful of wheelchair accessible ramps, the closing has made it difficult for church-goers to attend on Sunday mornings. The Bloomington City Council recognizes the issue, and the ADA is helping accommodate those individuals by adding a parking space on Grant Street.

However, Trinity Episcopal Church is not the only place on Kirkwood voicing their opinion. Greetings, a popular apparel store, has seen an unstable pattern in their revenue and customers since the pandemic and closing.

“Originally, there was a lot of stimulus money ejected into the economy and into the hands of everyone,” Robert Jacobs, co-owner of Greetings, stated. “Then, there were travel restrictions, people didn’t want to go out in public, so money wasn’t being spent on restaurants and travel for instance. So, really we were originally one of the places that benefited from the pandemic.”

However, three years later and along with the rest of the world, it changed.

“We’ve adjusted, sales are not as good as they were at the very apex of cash being in everyone’s pockets,” Jacobs added. With the closing, “it makes it harder for us to do deliveries and things like that because we can’t just pull up and unload. We have to be more strategic and careful,” said Sarah Sater, another Greetings employee.

With the closing of Kirkwood Avenue, Trinity Episcopal Church offers four available parking spots behind the building for all church-goers.

Yellow barriers block off Kirkwood Avenue, starting at the intersection of Indiana Avenue, in front of the Sample Gates.

Kirkwood Avenue closes to cars, allowing foot traffic and outdoor seating to pedestrians.

Parking meters appear available on Kirkwood Avenue while the street is open.

Lennie's on Kirkwood allows a tent with outdoor seating, which would otherwise be used as available parking spaces.

This year, the Bloomington City Council has decided to shorten the closing from what used to be until November, to now October. The reasoning behind this- parking and accessibility concerns.

While the City Council and individual owners are still working to adjust, the decision has been made for now. As for anyone coming to Bloomington before the fall, Sarah Sater shares one piece of advice for visitors to remember:

“There is less parking, so factor that in when you’re coming downtown. It might take longer to find a place to park.”