City of Mountainview issued the following announcement on Jan. 8
The 100 to 400 blocks of Castro Street in Mountain View will remain closed to vehicular traffic while the State of California’s Regional Stay-at-Home Order is in effect. The City of Mountain View’s decision took into account local business feedback, making it easier for businesses to resume outdoor dining once permitted. The current public health order prohibits outdoor dining.
In the meantime, Castro Street will remain open for pedestrians, which will provide ample space for downtown business patrons to walk and visit restaurants and shops.
The City recently surveyed 60 businesses participating in the Castro StrEATS program about whether to open up the street to vehicular traffic while outdoor dining is prohibited. Sixty-seven percent of businesses that responded to the survey supported the street closure. Temporarily re-opening the street to motor vehicles and buses would require significant time and effort by both businesses and the City. This activity would include:
- Removing outdooring dining infrastructure;
- Removing handwashing stations;
- Removing fence barriers, detour and stop signs, barricades and cones, and bollards (which are extremely heavy and requires special equipment to move);
- Reprogramming traffic signals at the intersections from all-way flashing red to regular operations; and
- Re-establishing bus routes.
The City had to temporarily suspend the outdoor dining portion of the Castro StrEATS program due to the Stay-at-Home Order that went into effect last month. Additional short-term parking remains available to the public in City parking lots and garages behind Castro Street for more convenient takeout and curbside pickup. The short-term parking is for 24 minutes, except at the 850 California Street Parking Structure, which is 30 minutes.
The State expects to lift the Regional Stay-at-Home order when intensive care unit (ICU) bed capacity is 15% or above at Bay Area hospitals. The City will further engage with the Mountain View Chamber of Commerce, Mountain View Downtown Business Association and local businesses about the Castro Street closure if the order extends past January.
About the City of Mountain View
Located between the Santa Cruz Mountains and San Francisco Bay, Mountain View is a diverse community with an estimated population of 82,739. Mountain View covers just over 12 square miles, featuring over 1,000 acres of park and wildlife areas including the 750-acre wildlife and recreation area called Shoreline at Mountain View. In the heart of Silicon Valley, Mountain View is home to a vibrant downtown and headquarters to many nationally and internationally known corporations including Google, LinkedIn, Intuit and NASA Ames Research Center. For more information, visit MountainView.gov.
Original source can be found here.
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