I understand that the subject line topic has been pushed to a future meeting for discussion. California Ave in Palo Alto, Murphy St in Sunnyvale have done this successfully, Mountain View is considering closing Castro street, and Town and Country Palo Alto has added more outdoor seating in small “parklets built in the parking spaces outside. Given the increased risk for Covid19 to spread when being indoors, and the incredible economic hardship on restaurants trying to survive on greatly reduced capacity, this seems like the right thing to do. It could perhaps be done on a temporary basis, I.e., through the fall. I sincerely want our downtown community to survive, and an important part of that is our dining experience. Without this effort, I absolutely see that diners will be going elsewhere where they will feel safer. Time seems important here, as I would think some establishments may not be able to hang on for the council to have several weeks of discussion. I would also like to mention that I personally think a permanent closure of Santa Cruz Ave, with outdoor dining, friendly foot traffic, and some beautification would be a great improvement to Menlo Park. I sincerely appreciate your consideration and hope that you will address this quickly. Respectfully, Gale Olson Felton Gables Neighborhood of Menlo Park Sent from my iPad Received on Fri Jun 12 2020 - 12:41:53 PDT
