Redwood City closes portion of Broadway

The original street closure decision was adopted by Redwood City officials years ago, in an effort to offer businesses suffering financially during the COVID-19 pandemic an opportunity to stay open via outdoor dining.

A city staff report cites suggestions to grant access to Recology for trash collection, including new automatic bollards and gates, granting encroachment permits for property owners to conduct maintenance, adding loading zones on Jefferson Avenue, Main Street, within the Marshall Garage, and the Main Street lot and several other suggestions for aesthetic betterment of the area.

Although the impact of the pandemic has waned, many business and individuals feel the street closure and creation of pedestrian-only areas positively added to the town’s atmosphere, according to the staff report.

“The city has found during the temporary street closure that the creation of pedestrian zones has added to the vitality and vibrancy of Downtown Redwood City. There is community interest in retaining some pedestrian zones permanently,” the staff report read.

Other cities including San Mateo and San Carlos have also moved to make pedestrian-only areas in their downtowns. The program, similarly adopted in neighboring cities and across the nation, was found to be a success, staff said, prompting the city to adopt an Outdoor Business Activity Program in July of 2022. The Outdoor Business Activity Program provides guidelines for parklet designs depending on street configurations, overview of the permitting process and an application checklist.

At the time, councilmembers expressed an interest in evaluating a potential closure of the 2000 block of Broadway after staff said businesses in the area supported the program. Following that input, staff collected feedback in February of 2023 and found that most businesses supported the closure but shared concerns about trash collection and access for maintenance and loading trucks, business visibility, Americans with Disabilities Act access, and the overall cleanliness of the area.

Additional outreach was conducted in October of 2023 through an online survey, two on-site walking audits and direct mailers with the survey receiving 62 responses mostly from members of the public and downtown patrons. The walking audits had about 25 participants, 40% who were business owners. Again, responses were largely positive with 14 of 15 businesses that responded saying the closure is a benefit, although some challenges were raised.

The changes are expected to cost the city about $8,000 in lost meter parking revenue per year and about $2,000 in administrative costs for publishing the resolution of intent and mailing the notice to adjacent properties. Near-term improvements, including bollards, planters, re-striping, loading zones and signal improvements, are estimated to cost about $360,000, which could come from the $4.8 million the city has in its parking fund.