Martinez Delays Plan To Close Main Street

MARTINEZ, CA — Martinez officials decided Thursday to hold off on a plan approved Wednesday night to close Main Street downtown to vehicle traffic on weekends as soon as this weekend, saying Thursday that they will wait until the county's coronavirus-related health order allows for more extensive retail business and restaurant operation.

Following a discussion Wednesday night about ways to help downtown businesses hit hard by orders surrounding the coronavirus, the Martinez City Council directed city staff to pursue the street closure as a way to allow merchants and restaurants with small spaces to expand operations outside, as restrictions on their operations ease up. For some restaurants, that outside expansion could be beyond the converted curbside parking spaces for which some restaurateurs already pay a premium.

But as of Thursday, Martinez City Manager Eric Figueroa said in an email, the street closure won't help merchants if they can't expand operations. Contra Costa County restaurants are still not allowed to serve food sit-down style, but only for takeout. He also noted that the county health order doesn't yet allow most retail businesses to operate outdoors. Changes in the health order allowing those things are expected in Contra Costa County in the near future, however.

"We are putting a plan in place for the closure, but we're not going to pull the trigger yet," Figueroa said. "The closure of the street is going to wait until the health order is changed."

As it stands, small retail stores in Contra Costa County are free to reopen with curbside pickup and sales only. The city intends to follow through as soon as possible on another action requested by the City Council Wednesday, Figueroa said — to set aside more downtown parking spots near downtown restaurants and retail businesses for curbside pickup of merchandise and to-go meals.

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