For six years, the San Carlos city government has kept the 700 block of Laurel Street – which is the heart of the downtown business district – closed to vehicle traffic.  But now, despite public outcry from property owners, businesses and residents, the city council is poised to remake the street into something called Centennial Plaza -- a pedestrian mall with a fountain and a stage.  

And the city intends to remove the wooden parklets – covered overhangs for seating on the sidewalk and street – that restaurants have relied on both during and after the COVID pandemic.  

Well, the heart of our city is under cardiac arrest.    During weekdays, the block looks like a ghost town. And now Dona’s Hallmark card shop – a staple of this block for more than a half century – is shutting down, due to lower foot traffic and dwindling sales.  Might other businesses follow suit?  

If all restaurants lose their parklets – to be replaced by a few open-air tables on the street – could that spell the end of some of our most cherished dining establishments, such as Town?  Do we really want to find out through this renovation experiment?

It’s time to deliver a message to the San Carlos City Council: Reopen the street to vehicles and on-street parking!   

Allow visitors and residents to see the shops, park briefly for take-outs from the restaurants and delis, and make purchases without having to walk two blocks to an enclosed parking garage. And it does make sense to revisit the parklet layout, but why not keep them for restaurants that have shown a demand for them?

In short, let’s send the mini-Disneyland concept, devised by consultants, back to Never-Never Land.  

While a contractor is currently remaking Harrington Park, which the city has set aside a staggering $7.2 million to install two restrooms after removing 10 popular heritage trees, the Centennial Plaza project has not yet been put out to bid.  And there also is no estimate of the construction cost.

Well, it’s time for common sense to prevail.  Time to return Laurel Street to its former vibrant shopping and dining district. And to stop wasting taxpayers’ money.

The city council, under then mayor Adam Rak, voted in November of 2023 to make the vehicle closure of the 700 block permanent, despite pleas from building owners and seniors with mobility issues to reopen it.  Even though seniors form a significant part of weekday foot traffic and lunch business, the comments from the public fell on deaf ears.  

Compare this scenario to what the City of Burlingame recently achieved in its popular downtown area.  Rather than close Burlingame Avenue to vehicle traffic, the city chose to convert a nearby 1-acre public parking lot into the Burlingame Town Square, a large plaza with tables, chairs, toilets, a stage and a children’s play area.  It was opened in July of this year and connects two popular side streets.  And it was accomplished for just $6 million. So there is now plenty of room to roam for both pedestrians AND vehicles without risking a negative impact to the businesses.   

And ask yourself this question:  Would Half Moon Bay ever consider closing a block in the middle of its Main Street shopping district? No way.  How about downtown Los Altos, which is replete with local shops, bakeries and restaurants?  Nada.  And what happened to University Avenue in Palo Alto with a street shutdown? Large exodus of businesses. City reopened it in late 2021 and has been trying to do CPR to restore its popularity ever since.

And when Redwood City decided to close a section of Broadway, guess what?  The city did a survey of the businesses on that block and 15 out of 16 agreed with the plan.  Did San Carlos make a similar outreach to our businesses?  Apparently not  if you ask the retailers and restaurants directly.

And let’s be clear:  San Carlos is not like Redwood City, which has multiple side streets with shops and restaurants rather than a single route with the majority of businesses.

Given the loss a few years ago of a localized chamber of commerce in San Carlos, there really is no organized response to this planned renovation.

So it’s time for all of us who cherish our local businesses to speak up. Now! Send a clear message to our city council to reopen the 700 block of Laurel and make the heart of our downtown healthy and vibrant again. Put those millions of dollars of taxpayer money to better use.