600 Block Plaza configuration or closure

At a glance

Based on auto-generated captions; names and details may be misheard.

What: whether to keep, shrink or remove the public plaza on the closed eastbound lane of the 600 block of Santa Cruz Avenue between Curtis and Doyle Streets (created under Resolution 6860, August 2023).
Where it stands: at a 10/13/2026 study session the council reached consensus (no vote) on a 6 to 12 month pilot of the smaller, streetery-width option, with no new design work, then a return to council for a long-term decision. Schmidt dissented, preferring to continue with the full plaza.
Next: staff will bring a resolution to reopen the eastbound lane temporarily within the next few meetings, plus a look at downtown lighting using remaining funds.

Option one: keep the current plaza (about 70 seats). Consultant selected for design (spring 2027), bidding summer, construction in fall, completion about the end of 2027.
Option two: reopen the eastbound lane, remove the bike lane and keep a streetery-width community space.
Option three: reopen the lane and remove the plaza, restoring 7 to 9 parking spaces; requires repeal of Resolution 6860.
Costs cited: about $61,000 for furniture, about $30,000 for concept plans, and about $250,000 remaining for design and construction.

Council straw poll: Combs option two; Wise between one and two; Nash option three (litter, rodents and coming downtown construction); Schmidt option one; Taylor leaning two then three. Combs proposed the pilot; Wise, Nash and Taylor agreed.
Public: Milan and a Downtown Menlo Fund representative backed option two with retractable bollards for Fourth Friday events; others backed keeping the full plaza; the fire district board president preferred emergency access and earlier consultation.
Downtown lighting (median tree lights failing) was raised as a safety problem for evening events.

About 83 minutes across 1 meeting (from transcript timestamps; approximate).

Meeting	Minutes
2026-10-13 - City Council	83

2026-10-13 - City Council — Study session: three options presented, six public speakers, straw poll split; consensus to pilot the smaller option for 6 to 12 months and return with a resolution; Schmidt dissented.
2026-10-22 - Page created from a posted agenda; no meeting transcript processed yet.