Last night, City Council voted unanimously to close both San Pedro + Post St. to cars in order to continue the City’s Al Fresco initiative.

Moving forward, San Pedro St. will be permanently closed to cars, while Post St. will close only on weekends. The decision was overwhelmingly supported by the public + seeks to create a vibrant downtown core.

🚙 The background

San Pedro and Post St. were initially closed in May 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic as part of an Al Fresco program to allow for outdoor dining. Since Al Fresco was approved, many businesses on San Pedro St. saw more patrons than pre-pandemic times.

However, on Post St. some non-restaurant businesses lost customers. To address this, the street was reopened in February 2022 to public outcry.

Following this feedback, Councilmember Raul Peralez spearheaded this proposal to close both streets more permanently — which received support from local businesses, former Mayor Tom McEnery, and community organizations like Project MORE, Catalyze SV + SPUR.

👟 Next steps

Last night’s decision takes into account business concerns and the passion of residents + local organizations. So what can we expect moving forward?

The closure at San Pedro St. (between W. Santa Clara and St. John) will begin with City staff analyzing fire + safety precautions and putting up permanent infrastructure to prevent cars from entering the street. Parking garage access will also be explored.

The temporary closure on Post St. (between S. First and Lightston Alley) will occur weekly from Thursday evening through Sunday, ideally beginning by mid-June. After a one-year trial, the City Council will evaluate its success + potential to expand.

There’s a caveat… Depending on certain State orders, there may be a brief street reopening before the City is able to permanently close them again.

We’ll watch out for updates, but in the meantime, let us know what you think of these changes.