The long-term vision for State Street is taking shape, with the next iteration of the plan — a concept with retractable bollards that would allow varying levels of vehicle traffic depending on the time of day — preparing for its public debut in late April.
City officials have been working toward the State Street Master Plan since 2021, though much of the early planning was fraught with lengthy debates about whether the street should be pedestrian-focused or open to vehicle traffic. In October 2025, city councilmembers expressed frustration with the slow-moving process and the lack of clarity about the master plan, and the city dropped the previous consultant to hire world-renowned architect and planner Stefanos Polyzoides to guide the next stage towards the final design.
Since then, city staff have worked with the design team at Moule & Polyzoides to come up with the newest version, which State Street Master Planner Tess Harris describes as a “flexible street” that would be open to pedestrians, cyclists, and transit vehicles at all times of day. The street would have retractable bollards blocking regular vehicle traffic during daytime hours, giving the city the option to open the street up to public traffic from 8 p.m. to 8 a.m. (View the city’s draft concept here.)…