Design plans for San Mateo’s permanent street closures on B Street between First and Third avenues are on the upcoming July 18 City Council special meeting agenda, with the city seeking public input.
Called pedestrian malls, the area is closed to all vehicle traffic but open to the public, with exceptions for delivery, service and maintenance trucks before 10 a.m. and emergency vehicles. According to a city staff report, the design plans call for removing the temporary water-filled barricades and instead using bollards and planters to block off the street.
It will expand the center emergency vehicle access lane from 12 feet wide to 16 feet and create new loading zones at each intersection in both the east and west directions. It will also remove parking infrastructure and adjust traffic signals. The city will add removable ramps for disabled access, bike racks and garbage cans on each block.
It has also added more art and public use designs to allow the public to use the street space. The draft includes two zones on each block in front of non-restaurant businesses with tables and chairs so users can eat food from areas outside the pedestrian mall or for use to watch street musicians and other events.
City plans include several design paint patterns on the street that look like a pattern from an aerial view, with different options on color and style. The street pattern would only last five to 10 years before the city must replace it. The council has also directed staff to include a racial equity community art project that is a permanent feature of the downtown.
The council approved permanent street closures in October on South B Street after being closed throughout most of the pandemic for pedestrian use. Many restaurants used the opportunity to do outdoor dining and serve customers when eating inside was severely limited. The closures were popular with large parts of the public and restaurant owners, with the permanent closures designed to increase interaction and walkability downtown and improve the downtown long term. The closures also provide a safe area for pedestrians in a busy section often dominated by cars.
The business community has been generally positive about the closures during meetings with the city, provided the city maintains long-term cleanliness and upkeep. No final cost for the design improvements has been determined, but current cost estimates are between $600,000 and $1 million.
Around 40% of expenses are for infrastructure improvements, with the rest for design and public use costs. The city has allocated around $600,000 for the project. The city may use existing maintenance staff or on-call contractors to limit costs. It would then put out bids for art and design parts.
Long-term infrastructure improvements are still necessary, like raising the street level to sidewalk height and reconfiguring storm drainage, which costs several million dollars per block. However, it may require the formation of an assessment district to help support the expense, according to the city.
