City curtails effort to aid commerce in downtown
Grant Avenue street closures garnered uneven support
Novato is significantly scaling back its downtown weekend street closures after receiving mixed reviews from business owners.
The closures only were in effect for about two months, from October through midNovember 2021 and from April 1 through early May this year. On Tuesday, the council voted 4-1, with Councilwoman Pat Eklund dissenting, to limit the closures to first Fridays of the month.
The City Council originally approved an all-weekend-long plan in mid-2021 as a way to bolster businesses after more than a year of struggling from the coronavirus pandemic. The pandemic prompted more street closures and outdoor dining in communities across Marin.
Two blocks of Grant Avenue between Machin and Reichert avenues were set to be closed from 5 p.m. to midnight Friday, Saturday and Sunday from April through early November. The city will now close the area on the first Friday of the month from 5 to 10 p.m. from May through September. The city also installed permanent gates on Grant Avenue to block traffic.
While some business owners supported the idea, others said it only benefitted certain businesses such as restaurants and even resulted in lost business in some cases.
“Some of our members like it, some of our members do not,” said Stephanie Koehler, president of the Downtown Novato Business Association. “I think the prevailing
"Some of our members like it, someof our members do not."
— Stephanie Koehler, Downtown Novato Business Association
thought was that it will be better to grow the program than try to push the boulder uphill. Scaling back, having it be a unique thing and going from there is probably a better approach.”
Jeannie Jarnot of Beauty Heroes on Grant Avenue said police visit stores at 4 p.m. during the closure days to inform customers that they would be shutting the traffic lanes. Those who did not move their cars in time were towed. Jarnot said customers did not come back after moving their cars.
“I absolutely think they did the right thing by moving it to the first Friday of the month,” Jarnot said after the vote last week. “I think that it gives an opportunity for businesses who want to participate and create an experience outside their store. It gives something for the Novato community to come downtown for and certainly a huge change from every weekend, three days a week.”
Dan Maher, owner of Sustainable Exchange, said the closures only worked for a few businesses and that the Downtown Novato Business Association had known this for some time. He advocated for the program to end entirely until the city can reconcile the impacts to certain businesses.
“Downtown revenues were flat in 2020 and 2021, so there was no post-lockdown
growth despite the street closures,” Maher told the council.
Abe Hamami, owner of Grazie Restaurant on Grant Avenue, said he liked the three-day closure but said he is fine with the plan to scale it back. While he acknowledged the closures blocked off parking, he said it brought activity to the area.
“I like it as a business owner,” Hamami said. “It just creates a lot of action downtown in beautiful downtown Novato.”
Eklund dissented on the changes to the closures because she said the city should conduct a survey of the business owners on the two blocks to gauge what changes they would support.
“Those are the businesses that are either benefitting or hurting substantially. The comments have been very articulate and very pointed and I have a better understanding of your concerns,” Eklund said during the meeting, acknowledging the business owners who attended to weigh in.
Eklund also recommended changing the closure start time to 6 p.m.
Mayor Pro Tem Susan Wernick said she received positive feedback from residents during the initial closures. Wernick encouraged business owners to use the closures to promote their businesses, such as through sales on First Fridays, and
communicate with customers about the closures.
“I just really think we need to give this a chance and really see our downtown grow,” Wernick said during the meeting.
Mayor Eric Lucan said the 5 p.m. closures do help to bring various residents, including families with kids, to downtown.
“This is not just a little tweak. We're going from 87 days' closure to just five,” Lucan said during the meeting. “I understand it might still be an inconvenience for some, but let's not lose the fact that you are gaining back 82 days that you didn't have before. Not everything is going to be perfect for everyone.”