Laserfiche WebLink
6.D. - Page 4 of 12 <br />On Friday, December 17 In light of the County moving under the State's Shelter in Place order, outdoor <br />dining activity ceased. City staff informed all downtown businesses that the City would reopen all closed <br />downtown streets and parklets to pivot and ensure easy access for delivery and take out service for <br />restaurants during the Stay at Home Order. Once the State's Regional Order is lifted and outdoor dining <br />activity is once again permissible, City staff is prepared to re -close streets and parklets to allow the <br />resumption of outdoor business activity. <br />ANALYSIS <br />Overall, the parklets and street closure programs have been working well, with minimal complaints from <br />the public. The City's Parks Recreation and Community Services staff monitor the program daily. Many of <br />the restaurants in the Downtown area have created temporary outdoor dining rooms in the parklets. <br />However, some restaurants are hesitant to undertake additional investments in the parklets due to <br />uncertainty surrounding the duration of the street closure and parklets program since the current <br />program end date is quickly approaching on January 31, 2021. Many businesses have requested that the <br />City's outdoor business activity program be extended well into 2021 or until the Pandemic ends so that <br />they can evaluate whether investing in additional outdoor dining equipment makes financial sense. City <br />staff is also exploring potentially drafting additional standards that may allow businesses to develop <br />temporary structures in parklets. <br />Additionally, staff believes that once the State's Regional Stay at Home Order is lifted, there will be <br />continued demand for outdoor dining activity as it may be the only option allowed under state public <br />health guidelines. Additionally, indoor dining capacity may be limited by state health orders and some <br />customers might not feel comfortable dining indoors in the near future. <br />In response to survey feedback from businesses and input from the City's Outdoor Business Activity <br />Program Task Force, and to provide predictability and cost effectiveness for businesses to purchase <br />equipment and make significant investments in parklet improvements, City staff recommends that the <br />City Council extend the Temporary Outdoor Business Activity Program through December 31, 2021 or <br />sooner should Pandemic conditions significantly improve. The City Manager would be given the authority <br />to open and close identified streets and parklets that are included in the downtown street closure map. <br />The proposed extension through the rest of the calendar year of 2021 would help support many of the <br />City's small businesses who continue to contribute to the economic vitality of the community, who have <br />been navigating unprecedented challenges, and who are hanging on by a thread to hopefully survive this <br />Pandemic. <br />Should the City Council determine that the temporary order be ended because businesses no longer want <br />it or if pandemic restrictions ease, staff, with advice from the task force, could explore a trigger or <br />monitoring mechanism to determine the effectiveness and the need for continued flexibility in outdoor <br />dining restrictions. <br />Page 4 of 6 <br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.ore <br />158 <br />