A portion of South Murphy Avenue in downtown Sunnyvale is one step closure to being permanently closed to vehicle traffic after city council unanimously voted Feb. 7 to move ahead with converting the area into a pedestrian mall.
The vote also continues the temporary closure of the 100 block of South Murphy Avenue to vehicles through Dec. 31 while changes, such as the construction of ADA-compliant ramps, are made.
That block of Murphy Avenue was first closed in June 2020 to allow restaurants to use the street for outdoor dining during the pandemic. The setup seemed to resonate with downtown visitors; a city survey last April found that almost 93% of respondents who live and/or work in Sunnyvale favored permanently closing the street to vehicles. Of the 2,796 survey respondents, just over 76% indicated that restaurants should be able to continue using the space for outdoor dining without paying extra to use the public street.
Before the resolution can be formally adopted, council is holding another public hearing on the issue on May 16 at 7 p.m. Prior to that hearing, public comments can be emailed to the city clerk at cityclerk@sunnyvale.ca.gov.
For more information, contact Maria Rodriguez in the city’s Economic Development Department at 408-730-7607 or econdev@sunnyvale.ca.gov.
Source: www.mercurynews.com