City Council Minutes 2020 05 26 SP

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City Council Meeting Minutes May 26, 2020 Page 2 of 11 Director Pierce noted there are four component of the program: • Closure of Main Street to vehicular traffic for an extended period; • Designation of curbside take-out areas for Downtown food and beverage establishments; • Potential "food hall areas" in City -owned parking lots; and Streamlined process for food and beverage establishments outside of Main Street to designate additional outdoor seating capacity. Staff is recommending the closure of Main Street from Elm to Walnut leaving the east - west streets open. The start and end dates of the program have not yet been determined. The closure would not commence until all State guidance has been finalized and all participating businesses have been approved. At this time we are seeking a 24/7 closure, but the hours of operation will be further refined. The annual Downtown Patio Program, which deploys approximately 26 12-foot patios as "parklets" on Main and Front Streets between late April and early November, is unfortunately not feasible with meeting physical distancing needs. The exact layout will be determined when we know which restaurants will be participating. Staff is asking for approval of the closure and administrative ability to approve the street layout and other details. The only hesitation restaurants had about the street closure was where to have curbside pick up areas. Restaurants are really dependent on take out right now so the layout needs to include access for people to pick up those orders. The potential for food halls will be reviewed once the closure is fully in place and then staff can decide if the food halls are needed. The food hall concept would require more work from the City for oversight and sanitization and other details will need to be worked out if this moves forward. Director Pierce noted expanded seating is not just for Downtown food and beverage establishments. The City Clerk's office has already been reaching out to those establishments with liquor licenses about the process to add seating on sidewalk areas and in parking lots. Staff will assist food and beverage establishments in other areas with site plans, determining the number of tables and required spacing, and ensure there is appropriate emergency access and fire lanes. Please note that for these businesses, they will need to have proof of permission to use any adjacent area; if the establishment is in a strip mall with shared parking, they will need to obtain permission from the property owner. Staff will create a communications plan for this program and align that with all current safety rules. While many details will have to be worked out, staff is confident this program can be successful and staff recommends approval of the resolution.