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6.F. - Page 3 of 31 <br />extended through the end of the calendar year. Restaurants are also beginning to plan for outdoor dining <br />during fall and winter months and are inquiring about the usage of tents. Staff in the City's Engineering <br />Division and Fire Department will be assess the use of tents by restaurants. <br />ANALYSIS <br />On August 28, the state rolled out its new Blueprint for a Safer Economy. This blueprint is to help reduce <br />COVID-19 in the state with revised criteria for loosening and tightening restrictions on activities. Based on <br />the State's Blueprint, on August 31, hair salons and barbers were allowed to operate indoors with limited <br />customer capacity (25%) in San Mateo County after being closed due to the County's placement on the <br />state's watch list in July. Nail salons and fitness centers are still unable to operate indoors; they can only <br />operate outdoors. Retail businesses can operate indoors but the number of customers allowed inside at <br />one time is limited to 25% capacity. <br />Staff have heard from retail businesses and personal care businesses (barbers, hair salons, and nail salons) <br />that they still want to operate outdoors because of the indoor customer occupancy limitations. To further <br />the City's COVID-19 goal to Restore community cultural, economic and social vitality, the City Manager <br />issued a Proclamation (Attachment A) on September 1 that allows retail businesses to apply for a <br />Temporary Outdoor Business Permit to temporarily operate outdoors on private property and on City <br />sidewalks. Retail businesses are still allowed to operate indoors; however, they must limit customer <br />capacity. Under the Proclamation, fitness centers dance studios and group trainings are allowed to <br />operate outdoors on private property or can apply for a separate permit to operate in a City park. <br />Additionally, hair and nail salons and barbershops are allowed to operate outdoors on private property. <br />Such businesses may not operate on public property due to industry regulations by the State Board of <br />Cosmetology and Barbering, the potential incompatibility of these activities with adjacent businesses and <br />limited space on sidewalks and parking spaces. <br />In response to survey feedback from restaurants and input from the City's Outdoor Dining Task Force, <br />staff recommends extending the outdoor business program to January 1, 2021. Staff time cost for the <br />seven-day a week closure from June to September was estimated at $225,000. Actual costs for <br />administering the outdoor dining program from June to August were $101,536; this does not include costs <br />for public safety and permit processing. The estimated staff cost to support the program until January 31, <br />2021 is $125,000. Staff activities include enforcement of health orders (use of masks and social distancing) <br />and enforcement of other regulations (use of public right-of-way without an approved permit, and other <br />violations). The RCIA has provided $70,000 to help defray staff costs for the City's initial outdoor dining <br />program over the summer and has pledged to continue to pay for additional cleaning costs should the <br />street closure program be extended. <br />All businesses allowed to participate in the Temporary Outdoor Business Activity will need a permit for <br />use of both private and public right-of-way. The permit is based on the City's encroachment permit <br />application but the permit fee for this permit is temporarily waived by Proclamation. Businesses also need <br />to adhere to any regulations that govern their industry. The permit allows businesses to place <br />tents/canopies (10'x10' and open on three sides) and other moveable accessories like heaters in the public <br />Page 3 of 5 <br />1 S11 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org <br />254 <br />