Keeping Laurel Street Closed

So, the quick history lesson on closing Laurel Street. For many years the section of Laurel Street between Cherry and Olive Street would get closed off for farmer’s markets and other holiday or seasonal events, but these closures were typical only for 1-2 days. Then along came covid and everything had to be done outdoors, so in June 2020 a section of Laurel Street was closed to allow for dining on the sidewalks and for parklets to be created so restaurants could serve outside, and the closure was set to expire in December 2020.

The Laurel Street closure became extremely popular with many of the restaurant and shop owners plus citizens of San Carlos CA. Families love being carefree with their children and not having to worry about car traffic being a danger in that section of Laurel Street. So, Keeping Laurel Street closed became the battle cry of many citizens as the City Council debated in 2021 whether to open Laurel Street back up again. A website was even created for it: https://www.keeplaurelclosed.org/

The City Council then approved extending the closure until September 2022 and has extended it yet again to allow Laurel Street’s impermanent parklet program until September 15, 2023. Meantime, the City of San Carlos is creating a new plan for Downtown, called the Downtown Specific Plan. This Plan will build upon what’s best and most loved about Downtown San Carlos. This process began in March 2022, and will wrap up in Spring of 2024. Part of what they are studying is keeping Laurel Street closed permanently (the section between Olive and Cherry St) plus keeping and allowing the parklets to also remain while adding more vegetation to the area.

So, it seems like the future looks bright for keeping Laurel Street closed permanently, but that decision will likely not be made until 2024. Personally, I hope they approve it because it makes for a much more visitor/family friendly downtown.