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People cross the street towards the Greener Block event on Main Street at Charleston Boulevard Saturday, April 28, 2012.
By J. Patrick Coolican (contact) 
Wednesday, May 9, 2012 | 2 a.m.
J. Patrick Coolican
Site of Build a Greener Block
Sun coverage
I strolled around Build a Greener Block, which sought to dress up a somewhat neglected stretch of Main Street and turn it into a vibrant urban experience for a weekend, when I heard a new friend scoff that the raw food store was also selling tofu, which, of course, is processed.
I joked that the conversation sounded like something out of “Portlandia,” the funny show on IFC that celebrates and mocks all things Portland.
The event organizers no doubt would love the “Portlandia” reference. They are Green Jelly, and they’re trying to promote environmentally conscious businesses and living in Las Vegas.
A few basics about the event on April 28-29: They took the 1000 block of South Main Street, which is just north of Charleston, and collapsed four lanes into two. Then they invited community activists and vendors to set up in some of the empty storefronts and on the sidewalk, including a bike collective, a coffee stand, clothing boutique and a florist. They used chalk to create a makeshift crosswalk, which left some drivers befuddled and had my attorney friend talking liability. A DJ threw beats.
The effort was modeled on a guerilla movement in Dallas that later spread to other cities, where they demonstrate how a blighted area can rapidly change if not for bureaucratic malaise and civic neglect. (In our case, organizers worked with the city rather than antagonized it.)
What’s the point of it all? That’s a fair question, because the effort wasn’t cheap at $6,500 (more on the cost in a minute).
Think of it as a fun street fair that also serves a didactic purpose — it shows the community what’s possible while giving potential businesses a dry run, a chance to see if they can be successful Downtown.
Brandon Wiegand, an organizer, called the event a big success. He estimated it drew 750 to 1,250 people and let vendors and community activists test out urban revival on Main Street.
He noted the significance of Greener Block being organized by people outside the Zappos universe. It’s important that grassroots activists not wait around for money or instructions from the new big player downtown. Wiegand said Raw Fusion, a pop-up health food store for the weekend, was so impressed with the response that it’s discussing opening at 1050 and 1052 S. Main.
Wiegand would like to do more events like this, but he said the city needs to consider the prohibitive cost of permits. Most of the $6,500 was spent on permits and related costs, Wiegand said.
When I asked the city about this, I received a rather detailed reply, which I suspect had something to do with a recent front page story in the Review-Journal about Wes Myles listing the Arts Factory with a commercial broker and ending his role hosting First Friday events, all while blaming the city for onerous fees and regulations.
City spokesman Jace Radke said in an email, “The city has actually been working very hard to be more business friendly and to make the permitting process more convenient. The city has already waived and reduced some fees.”
He sent examples that I’ll take up in future columns on the city’s regulatory regime. For the purposes of our discussion of short-term events, Radke said the city works with event organizers to lessen the permitting burden, citing the free closing and barricading of streets for First Friday.
At Greener Block, I got a coffee from a meticulous barista from Sambalatte, whose permanent home is in Boca Park in Summerlin. He was annoyed, he said, that he was serving something below his standards.
Krystal Marie was overseeing the Fremont Bike Clinic, where they’ll fix up your bike for a donation for parts. The Public Pedal Bicycle Collective is trying to make Vegas a more bike-friendly city, she said. (Given our drivers, pray for these brave souls.) Some young women swung their hips in Hula Hoops.
My friend is a Vegas lifer and bristled at the hippie vibe.
Indeed, not every city can be Portland, and we shouldn’t want to be Portland. At the next Greener Block, they should have a gun range.
I thought it was nice, however there needs to be better traffic control for that event...because THERE WERE NONE! Coming around that"BLIND CORNER" Northbound, you cannot see pedestrians running across the street...this included unattended children running back and forth! I saw a lot of close calls and they were lucky that there wasn't any incidences. I called Metro dispatch and advised them of the situation, but they ignored it and referred me to the City of Las Vegas Permit Department!? IT WAS A WEEKEND...IT WAS CLOSED!
They meant well and it was fun, but somebody could have gotten run over. It is true that $6,500 can no longer open up one of those storefronts, even just to sell raw vegetables. City regulations remain out of control, even though Wes Isbutt along with many other owner / developers plus sympathetic inside city staff tried for years to make it easy. As soon as we did, then the Building Official and the Public Works Department came up with 20 new regulations, review processes and fees. This stuff slows down projects where it takes an extra 9-18 months just to get the front doors open, with new costs of $50-250,000 added onto to just a small storefront rehab project. It is absurd, and enough to drive Wes and others away from Downtown Las Vegas. Jace can put out lies all day for the City Manager, but they do not care and do not fix the problems. One step forward, 2 steps back.
First off, yes that "Chalk Painted On" Crosswalk is an "Existing Crosswalk that the City neglected. The City's crosswalk stripes all but faded to black asphalt, we just merely made it more visible with a biodegradable product. If anything would have happened it would have been the driver's fault for not yielding to pedestrians. Secondly,we worked closely with the City and they were very helpful with the process. Yes, there were ridiculous fees that were incurred but that was what we set out to prove to the City of Las Vegas. There are things that we could have changed and please feel free to come to our bi-weekly community meetings. This will be first of many "Build A Greener Block" projects, so follow us on Facebook, Twitter & http://www.greenerblocks.com/ and Join us!
I missed it. Where was it advertised? Do they have a website?
The first Build A Greener Block was a phenomenal hit dear Mr. Coolican. BAGB showed it's possible to operate green & sustainably and that a community CAN come together & create what they want & need for themselves. The real problem with events and other offerings downtown is the negativity naysayers take pleasure in pushing - instead of positivity. Neighboring event & business bashing (mostly put on by "friends" of competitors) is the very reason DtLV still struggles to solidify its place in the cultural landscape of this country. Don't hate - congratulate!!