The city of Mountain View will finalize plans in the fall to transform the temporary Castro Street closure into a permanent pedestrian mall.
John Lang, economic vitality manager for the city, said the pedestrian mall – initiated during the pandemic to allow for expanded outdoor dining – has been largely successful but comes with its own set of challenges.
“It’s a great opportunity because it generally attracts people (to downtown), but it also has a little bit of a culture,” he said. “Making sure that retail has some synergy with the restaurants (has) been challenging.”
Lang pointed out that even before the Castro closure, retail businesses faced adapting to the shift to online shopping.
Now, there are two goals: to create “stickiness,” or keep people hanging out downtown whether or not they come to eat or shop, and to create a unique experience. Among the creative offerings, Lang highlighted Bloomsgiving, a coffee-shop-slash-florist that opened on the corner of Castro and Dana streets late last year.
Retailers
Gingko Furniture, which had been operating primarily online since 2017, reopened at 903 Castro St. in June. The business was previously located at the intersection of Showers Drive and El Camino Real.
“We think for our business, if the customer is able to see (the product), that’s vital,” owner Jerry Hsia told the Town Crier.
As for choosing Castro Street, Hsia said it’s the main street of Mountain View, making it a natural choice.
Hsia said he isn’t worried about a lack of parking or the pedestrian area restricting access in the downtown hub – Gingko is a destination, and the business doesn’t expect a lot of foot traffic.
David Gamow, who manages East West Bookshop at 324 Castro, said parking isn’t a problem for downtown retailers, especially since there wasn’t much parking once the street was blocked off to cars.
“It’s been great having (Castro) be a pedestrian area,” he said. “It feels a little almost like a European piazza kind of thing.”
As both an “impulse” and a “destination” specialty bookshop, Gamow said East West’s sales haven’t suffered at all due to the street closure. In fact, he estimated that 80-90% of businesses on Castro likely support the permanent closure.
Economic recovery
The Castro Street pedestrian closure began in June 2020 as a pandemic recovery measure, providing a lifeline to restaurants that couldn’t serve customers indoors.
Lang said that though downtown is experiencing a mixed recovery, things are looking up. He counts 15 vacant spaces on the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Castro, but noted that four of the vacant retail/food spaces have active permits in process.
“As we continue to look for ways to support the business community, we’re also starting to transition a little bit to a new vision,” he said, adding that many business owners believe that returning office workers will boost downtown vibrancy.
The department of economic development showed the plan for the permanent pedestrian mall to the Mountain View Central Business Association this week. Lang said the project plan will be available to the public in early September. The Downtown Committee will review the plan first Sept. 6, before the Parks and Recreation Committee Sept. 14 and the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee Sept. 29. The city council will evaluate the proposal Oct. 11.
Lang said the design will include a clearer definition for the pedestrian thoroughfare in the middle of the street, public seating and play equipment and, of course, space for outdoor dining. Small improvements, like Americans with Disabilities Act upgrades, have already been approved and will be implemented in the next year or so. More permanent infrastructure will start cropping up in the next two to five years, according to Lang.
