Palo Alto's two main thoroughfares, University and California avenues, could be closed to traffic four days a week as soon as next week, allowing restaurants to use the streets to serve diners once permitted to do so by Santa Clara County.
In a Friday message to owners of businesses on the two streets, City Manager Ed Shikada said that the city is anticipating "hopefully soon" an updated health order from the county that will allow for on-site and outdoor dining.
"As soon as next weekend, we could be ready to implement street closures to support your business recovery and active customer enjoyment," Shikada wrote.
Local restaurant owners up and down the Peninsula have been advocating for street closures to help sustain their businesses as they gradually reopen with restrictions. Cities including Palo Alto, Mountain View, Redwood City, Los Altos, San Carlos and San Mateo are considering closing streets to traffic and giving restaurants more outdoor space to operate.
Palo Alto is looking at closing University Avenue between Waverley Street and Emerson Street, and California Avenue between El Camino Real and Birch Street. The pilot closures would initially run from Thursday mornings through Sunday evenings, starting June 4 or the first Friday after on-site dining is allowed by the Santa Clara County Health Officer through the month of June.
"The goal of this closure is to encourage businesses to use the public spaces and residents to support our local businesses," Shikada wrote to owners. "We will use this opportunity to see what works in terms of use and access to the shared spaces, safety, parking, and staffing requirements."
The City Council allocated $300,000 on May 26 to help with "business support" efforts, including outdoor dining. Palo Alto is exploring full- and part-time street closures, expanding outdoor seating through parklets and temporary closures of parking lots and offering businesses signage so customers know they are open, according to a city blog post.
The city is holding virtual meetings on Monday with California and University Avenue business owners to discuss the pilot closures.
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May 31, 2020 at 07:20AM
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University, California avenues could close to traffic as soon as June 4, providing relief to restaurants - Palo Alto Online
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