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8.A. - Page 2 of 7 <br />In anticipation of the struggles that restaurants will face in attempting to resume operations safely, the <br />City's Economic Development team has been working to develop a strategy to support revenue <br />generation for restauranteurs citywide and allow for customers and employees to remain socially <br />distanced and feel safe. Consumer confidence and workforce confidence are critical to successfully reopen <br />the economy. <br />Staff reached out to our City economic development partners (the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown <br />Business Group and the Redwood City Improvement Association) to discuss the proposed strategy and <br />learned that the Redwood City Improvement Association (RCIA) and the Redwood City San Mateo County <br />Chamber of Commerce (Chamber) has been working with New City America to develop a Post-COVID-19 <br />Mitigation Strategy. New City America is a consulting firm that specializes in business district revitalization. <br />They are also the firm that led the effort to create the Community Benefit District in downtown Redwood <br />City that we refer to as the RCIA. City staff reviewed the proposal prior to the execution of the contract <br />with New City America and assisted in the development of scope of service that would result in a citywide <br />outdoor dining and retail sales program. City staff will be working closely with the consulting team and <br />the Chamber and RCIA as implementation of such a program will require a great deal of coordination <br />between many Redwood City departments. Inter -department coordination on this initiative includes city <br />staff from the City Attorney's Office, Community Development and Transportation, City Manager's Office, <br />Fire, Parks Recreation and Community Services, Public Works Services and the Police Department. This <br />new collaboration has resulted in the Post COVID-19 Business Mitigation Strategy Taskforce. <br />ANALYSIS <br />The Citywide Approach <br />The Taskforce met to discuss the development of a citywide strategy that would allow restaurants to use <br />public right-of-ways and private property to augment their dining room space. City Planning staff is <br />working to identify a process that would allow alternative uses of private sidewalks and parking lots in the <br />City's business and retail centers. City Engineering staff is reviewing the City's encroachment permit policy <br />to allow restauranteurs to use adjacent City owned parking stalls for parklets and City streets in the <br />Downtown central business district. The City's Planning staff is also reviewing permit policies to allow the <br />usage of private retail center sidewalks and parking lots for outdoor dining. Furthermore, City staff is also <br />looking into American with Disability Act (ADA), California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) and zoning <br />requirements. <br />City staff in collaboration with the Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Business Group (DBG), RCIA and <br />New City America have developed the following three -pronged approach to provide interim recovery <br />support to Redwood City restaurants in light of COVID 19 economic impacts. <br />(1) Allow for select rotating temporary street closures in the downtown central business district to <br />accommodate outdoor restaurant dining. <br />(2) Allow the use of City public right-of-ways, such as adjacent sidewalks and street parking for restaurant <br />outdoor dining in the downtown. <br />Page 2 of 6 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore <br />542 <br />