(KRON) — The City of Mountain View is considering new legislation to establish an entertainment zone in its downtown area. The proposed ordinance, introduced Tuesday evening at a City Council meeting, would allow for public, outdoor alcohol consumption during special events on five blocks of Castro Street.
The initiative aims to create a festive environment for visitors and support local businesses, utilizing new state legislation passed in 2024 that permits local municipalities to designate such areas.
The state legislation allows local municipalities to designate specific areas for outdoor, public alcohol consumption to foster a festival environment. San Francisco is already utilizing similar zones. The entertainment zone is viewed as a tool to encourage longer visits, support local restaurants and retailers and enhance the overall downtown experience.
Economic Vitality Manager Amanda Rottela presented the idea to the City Council, highlighting its potential benefits for the community.
To establish an entertainment zone, Mountain View must pass an ordinance defining its boundaries, container requirements and operating hours.
The proposed boundaries for the zone are on Castro Street, extending from Church Street to West Evelyn Avenue. Rottela, Economic Vitality Manager, stated that the zone would not be continuously open.
“The Mountain View entertainment zone will be activated for city hosted events, so it won’t be open 24-7,” Rottela said.
The proposal outlines an 18-month pilot program. Rottela noted that the city already has specific events in mind for the zone if it is approved. “We are particularly excited to utilize this tool around our world cup activations so we’re super excited for the games to be coming here this year and so we’re looking to bring some events to our downtown in celebration of soccer,” Rottela said.
During the pilot phase, the city plans to continuously assess the program. “We’re going to be evaluating it every step of the way and really looking at how it applies, how it works for our businesses and how it works for our community,” Rottela said.
The City Council is scheduled to vote on the entertainment zone ordinance at its April 28 meeting. If the ordinance is approved, it would go into effect 30 days after the vote.
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