Pamela Cruz. Peninsula 360 Press [P360P].
On Monday night, January 11, citizens and small business owners asked the Redwood City Council to adopt a resolution that would allow for the extension of the Outdoor Dining and Commercial Activities Program once San Mateo County exits the COVID-19 purple level, bringing it under the regional stay-at-home order.
And the program, which could end this month, seeks that the economic activity of the area is not paralyzed, and thus thousands of people are affected in their economy, because when businesses close, jobs are lost.
"Many businesses have requested that the city's commercial outdoor program be extended through 2021 or until the pandemic ends so they can evaluate whether investing in additional outdoor dining equipment makes financial sense," city staff said.
They added that, overall, the parklet program and street closures have worked well and with minimal complaints from patrons and diners.
Thus, almost 40 restaurants and bars in the city centre have obtained licences to offer food in the open air, an activity that normally takes place until 10 p.m., despite the fact that most businesses close before that time.
Redwood City has blocked off some of the downtown district's busiest thoroughfares to vehicle traffic for the Eat, Sip and Be in RWC program.
Among the blocked streets are a portion of Broadway, Theatre Way and Main Street.
The cookout program launched on June 26, 2020.
