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Weekend on Main street closures could be poised to make a comeback this year, if the Pleasanton City Council approves proposed framework and a $100,000 sponsorship for the program at its regular meeting on Tuesday evening.
If adopted, the 2022 Weekend on Main program would return as part of the Pleasanton Downtown Association’s (PDA) annual events programming, including programming by the PDA on Saturdays. The downtown street closures would take place every first weekend of the month, starting Friday at 4 p.m. until Sunday at 9 p.m.
Started back when the pandemic first struck, the Weekend on Main program provided outdoor space for downtown restaurants and merchants to expand operations while indoor dining and shopping was restricted by county and state officials. The weekly street closures also took place last year from the end of April through Labor Day weekend.
According to a staff report, both events in 2020 and 2021 “were well-received by the community and helped to bring much-needed activity into the downtown during the pandemic, however, merchants’ experiences were mixed.”
Since late summer, city staff and the PDA have been collaborating to develop a program framework that balances “the varied interests of downtown merchants as well as those of the community.”
Soliciting feedback in recent months from a number of stakeholders including an advisory group of residents, retailers, restaurateurs, and other businesses in downtown, a monthly event was agreed on. Staff said the advisory group “felt that it was important for each weekend street closure to be programmed with activities that would draw patrons downtown and activate the street during non-dining times.”
Though most of the downtown retailers reported being negatively impacted by the closures, staff said that “collectively the retailers understand the popularity of Weekend on Main and are supportive of holding them once a month with programming that will activate the street space.”
Retailers did not support weekend street closures during the holiday season — especially November and December — “so their customers have access to their shops with no deterrents,” staff said.
Restaurant owners, however, said extending the series into those months “allows them to make the most of the holiday season for their establishments.” They also asked the city to hold the Weekend on Main events twice a month “as they find direct and significant financial benefit from the closures,” according to staff.
Both groups did support the same event footprint used in previous years, stretching from the Main Street bridge to south of Old Bernal Avenue.
To promote shopping locally and fellow businesses, the PDA will work with both restaurants and retailers on cross-promotion marketing. Additionally, the city and PDA will work together “to ensure that any activities planned for the December Weekend on Main support — and don’t interfere with — the holiday parade and tree lighting.”
Staff also said holding Weekend on Main on the first of each month will make room for Concerts in the Park on Friday nights when the streets are open.
Costs for police and traffic engineering staffing, downtown cleaning, and event oversight are absorbed as part of the city’s ongoing department operations, but this year’s Weekend on Main event could generate direct costs of approximately $170,000.
To support the PDA for the 2022 programing, the council will consider allocating $100,000 from the Business Support Fund, which has approximately $1.35 million available.
The council’s open meeting will begin at 7 p.m. Tuesday (Feb. 15).
In other business
* A planned-unit development proposal to construct 22 single-family homes and 22 accessory dwelling units (ADUs) in the Happy Valley area will undergo council review for possible approval on Tuesday.
Called the Flat at Spotorno Ranch, the project is proposed for construction on an approximately 112-acre vacant parcel adjacent to 1000 Minnie Drive, one mile south of Sunol Boulevard and also located in the Happy Valley Specific Plan.
According to public documents, the current owners would retain an agricultural/open space parcel deemed undevelopable by the city, and two common-area parcels would be owned by the future homeowners association. An affordable housing agreement has also been requested in conjunction with the project.
In December, the project was unanimously approved as proposed by the Planning Commission, which also “emphasized that the section of the proposed Happy Valley Loop Trail along Alisal Street should be constructed as part of the subdivision improvements prior to construction on any residential homes,” according to staff. Other on- and off-site improvements that would also be paid for by the applicant include sidewalks, curbs, gutters, trails, stormwater retention areas, and water and sewage facilities.
Staff has recommended that the council accept the proposed development including an initial study that was prepared “to determine whether and to what extent” the Happy Valley Specific Plan’s final environmental impact report “addresses the potential impacts of the proposed project.”
* The council is expected to accept a series of mandated annual audit reports on Tuesday, including the city’s annual comprehensive financial report, currently available for public viewing at the Pleasanton Public Library.
Giving an overall picture of the city’s financial performance and operations, the annual report was prepared by the city and then audited by independent auditors “to provide reasonable assurance that the financial statements are fairly presented in accordance with generally accepted accounting principles in the United States,” according to staff.
The report also contains the independent auditors’ report for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2021, that was prepared by the auditors, along with Community Transit Services, Senior Citizen, and Disabled Transportation Program Fund financial statements. A single audit report containing a schedule of federal financial assistance summarizing federal grant activity last year for the city will be issued this month as well.
Like all other years, the city received “an unmodified or clean opinion on the financial statements” from the independent auditors. The city also met all requirements to receive the Certificate of Achievement for Excellence in Financial Reporting again for the 24th consecutive year.
Issued by the Government Finance Officers Association (GFOA) of the United States and Canada, the certificate is given to municipalities that “achieve the highest standard in government accounting and financial reporting.”
