Information provided by the city of San Juan Bautista.
The city of San Juan Bautista will begin its transformation of Third Street on Monday, June 22 at 7 a.m. City Council members voted on May 19 to turn the city’s main roadway into a one-way street with space for downtown businesses to utilize for outdoor shopping and dining.
According to a press release, traffic will be directed in the center of the road heading west, from Franklin Street to Muckelemi Street. As the city’s businesses re-open under State Guidelines for safe distancing, many are restricted to opening just 25% of their capacity. By transforming Third Street, the release said business owners will be able to expand and use 10 feet of space on the street in front of their business in an effort to help them recover from the effects of the shelter-in-place order. The transformation is authorized for six months, but could be extended.
Starting June 22, the city’s contractor will begin to re-stripe the street by removing the existing paint. The new street striping will create a center lane, two two-foot boundaries, leaving the private space between the remaining center space and the sidewalk (10 feet) for businesses to use. The paint will be water-based so as not to be difficult to remove at a later date. the release said.
At a June 2 meeting, the Historic Resources Board considered design standards for the temporary establishment of business spaces on the right-of-way. Resolution 2018-65 created design standards for Historic Third Street that are intended to enhance and preserve the historic nature of the small-town feel. These design standards have established a uniform “Block Face” for each of the four-block closings, allowing the north-south traffic to continue to flow, using natural wood and wine barrels to block traffic and create a safe space. They suggest furniture types and establish safety guidelines to be followed for tables, chairs and umbrellas.
To roll this out as quickly as possible, the design and actual implementations of the transformation are considered fluid in nature, the release said. Changes will be made incrementally to assure the aesthetics and safety are paramount and maintained throughout.
For questions and inquires, please contact City Hall at (831) 623-4661 extension 14