San Carlos street closures to continue

“Summertime is the height of outdoor dining. … I think there will be a mentality to overcome of people still wanting to dine outside even when restaurants are open on the inside. We see that right now with restaurants open at 50% capacity. People still prefer to dine outside,” said McDowell.  

Palo Alto has a similar end date in place for its program while Redwood City and Burlingame have linked street closure end dates with the ending of Gov. Gavin Newsom’s COVID-19 emergency declaration. Without council action, the San Carlos program would have ended Dec. 31. The council also considered ending the program in March, like San Mateo and Belmont plans, or to schedule an end date and program review for late June or July. 

The council ultimately approved the later program expansion but Mayor Ron Collins and Councilman Mark Olbert dissented, citing concerns the program required additional data and outreach to merchants along the closures and barricades.  

“I believe we really need to reach out to those nonrestaurant businesses and find ways we can work with them, accommodate them, ease the pain in whatever way we can so that we don’t lose them,” said Collins, noting he and Councilman Adam Rak, who both sit on the Street Closure Ad Hoc Subcommittee, would look into the concerns. 

Currently the 700 block of Laurel Street is the only road fully closed off to oncoming traffic while the 600, 800 and 900 blocks of Laurel Street have barricades dividing vehicle lanes from parking stalls. Barricades have also been placed on the 1100 block of San Carlos Avenue and in parts of the Industrial Arts District and Arroyo Street. 

On Sundays, the 600 block of Laurel Street and Cherry Street are closed to oncoming traffic, allowing the Yoga Health Center access to the road for classes. Olbert noted the Sunday street closure has been problematic for some nonrestaurant retailers including Harvest Furniture which shuttered due to revenue losses caused by lost parking, said Olbert. 

The council discussed ending the Sunday program but did not formally do so during the meeting. City Manager Jeff Maltbie has the authority to make such modifications to the program following input from the Ad Hoc Subcommittee. A question about the Sunday street closure will be included in a survey which staff was directed to conduct along with studies into how the street closures and parklets are being received, particularly by those who’ve shied away from exploring downtown due to COVID-19 infection concerns. 

An initial survey was distributed to 150 downtown businesses inquiring into whether business owners would consider investing in or upgrading parklets if the program was extended. The survey also informed merchants of outdoor heat regulations and information on how parklets could be fitted with electric heating capabilities. 

Vice Mayor Laura Parmer-Lohan and Olbert both noted the survey focused on restaurants though Al Savay, Community and Economic Development director, said staff did not differentiate between businesses, giving all the opportunity to respond. 

During the meeting, eight business owners addressed the council, seven restaurateurs imploring them to extend the program and one nonrestaurant merchant calling for the program to end. Olbert said the anecdotal information reflected what he has heard from nonrestaurant merchants while Rak and McDowell said some retailers have voiced support for the program. 

sierra@smdailyjournal.com 

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