The San Carlos City Council has voted 5–0 to keep downtown's pandemic-era parklets for another year. The program and its encroachment permits now run through September 15, 2027. The permanent rules that replace the parklets were adopted months ago and are already law. They can only take effect once the 700 block is rebuilt, and the city has not set a date for that construction. Until it does, a program the city still calls "temporary" will keep running downtown's outdoor dining, one renewal at a time.
What the council renewed
The extension was a consent-calendar item: Resolution 2026-099, adopted alongside ten other routine items with no votes against. Councilmembers Dugan, Layton, McDowell, Rak and Venkatesh all voted yes. One resident spoke on the item. The resident supported continuing the program and asked the council to study any long-term changes carefully before cutting outdoor dining capacity. The full packet is available through the city's public meeting portal.
According to the city's August 28, 2026 Council Newsletter, San Carlos has 35 active parklets and is still accepting applications. The program began in 2020 to give restaurants more outdoor seating. It closed parts of the 700 block and took out some on-street parking spaces. The council reviews it every year, and every permit is revocable.
The newsletter also says Public Works staff will review the program's terms, conditions and "parklet aesthetics" before the next renewal. Staff expect to bring policy options to the council in early 2027. That review looks more significant once you read the plan that will eventually replace the parklets.
The replacement is already on the books
The Downtown Specific Plan was approved on November 24, 2025, finalized by second reading on January 26, 2026, and took effect on February 25, 2026. Chapter 7 sets out two sets of outdoor dining rules. The current rules stay in place until the downtown streetscape work is finished. A second set takes effect after the sidewalks are widened. The plan also says that by the time the streetscape enhancements are complete, the COVID-era parklets "will also have been retired."
The biggest change is physical. Sidewalks on the 600, 700 and 800 blocks of Laurel and the first blocks of San Carlos Avenue go from 9.5 feet to 20 feet wide. Before the pandemic, tables had to stay between the building face and the first red brick line along Laurel. Here is how the plan compares the current rules with the future ones:
| Current rules | After the streetscape work | |
|---|---|---|
| Sidewalk width, core Laurel and San Carlos Ave blocks | 9.5 feet | 20 feet |
| Dining and display zone, 700 block of Laurel | Building face to the first red brick line | 9 feet |
| 600 and 800 blocks of Laurel, 1100 and 1200 blocks of San Carlos Ave | Same brick-line limit on Laurel | 8 feet |
| El Camino Real | At least 4 feet of clear sidewalk kept open | At least 5 feet of dining zone |
| Awnings | Solid colors only | Patterned awnings allowed |
| Umbrellas | No palette rule listed | City of San Carlos color palette only |
| Barriers | No height cap listed | 4-foot height cap; no wrought iron, rope, jersey or crowd barriers |
| Platforms and floor coverings | No rule listed | Prohibited |
| Weather protection | No rule listed | Transparent retractable windscreens allowed in bad weather |
| Parklets | 35 active under the temporary program | Retired |
Some limits stay the same under both sets of rules. Nothing can be permanently attached to the public right-of-way, and enclosed structures are still not allowed. The plan also creates an optional five-foot "tree strip" next to the curb. Required setbacks from fire hydrants and manholes mean some businesses will be able to use that strip more than others.
The plan also covers more than seating. It calls for two pavilions with permanent performance stages, one near the center of Centennial Plaza and one in a future plaza on the 600 block. It also calls for "smart" light poles with charging outlets, Wi-Fi and ambient music speakers.
Why the switch has no date
Under Chapter 7, the new rules take effect when construction is finished. A date on the calendar doesn't trigger them. The center of that construction is the 700 block, which the council has designated Centennial Plaza. The council approved its final design on October 14, 2025: new paving, rain gardens, trees, custom benches, a multipurpose pavilion, lighting, bike parking and drinking fountains. A water feature is also under consideration.
After that approval, the city's plan website says staff and consultants are still preparing technical construction documents. Contractors will build from them "should funding become available and pursuant to City Council direction." The site also says plainly: "The construction schedule for the 700 Block of Laurel Street has not yet been determined."
So the order of events is fixed even though the timing isn't. The parklets can't be retired until the plaza is built. The plaza can't be built until it is funded and the council directs it. Meanwhile, the temporary program is how the parklets stay, so it comes back to the council for renewal every year. The 2027 renewal will likely be the first one where the parklets' look is up for discussion, because that is what staff said they would review.
At the council's August 25, 2025 meeting, the San Mateo Daily Journal reported on a long discussion of these same outdoor dining standards. Mayor Sara McDowell said then: "Our business owners want and deserve certainty. Uncertainty kills businesses." The standards she described are now adopted. They just aren't in effect yet.
Funding will come up on the November ballot. Measure G is a half-cent general sales tax. The city estimates it would raise about $6 million a year for 14 years. The city's own page lists "redesigned streets, wider sidewalks, and connected public plazas" downtown as one of several uses the council could consider, along with street repair, parks, public safety and infrastructure. The city also says it has about $200 million in unfunded capital projects for the next few years. As a general tax, Measure G does not set aside money for Centennial Plaza specifically. Election Day is November 3, 2026.
The 700 block this fall
Next door, Harrington Park is fenced off for its own redesign. The city held the groundbreaking on May 8, 2026, and expects to finish in early 2027. The city's downtown project page says storefronts on Laurel stay open during construction. Work happens on weekdays and uses alley access, and four short-term parking spaces behind the park have been removed. Before work began, the Daily Journal reported that Mama Coco and Faith & Spirits were expected to be the businesses most affected. On June 15, the city's downtown blog described Mama Coco as open and hosting a city Lunch Bunch group next to the active work.
The city has also been adding to the closed block while the larger plan waits:
- Adirondack chairs went in along Laurel in May, and more were added on August 18.
- On August 14, a Life on Laurel night set up cornhole, checkers, Connect 4 and Jenga on the 700 block.
- On June 12, the World Cup fan fest drew about 500 people to Wheeler Plaza, and attendees were encouraged to order takeout from downtown restaurants.
- The week of September 28, the city scheduled installation of two Downtown Revitalization information boards on the 700 block, one in the raised planter near Diddams and one near U.S. Bank.
The city has not published a list of the 35 parklet permit holders. These Laurel Street and San Carlos Avenue spots list outdoor seating in local directory listings. Some of that seating is in parklets and some is on sidewalks or patios, and the setup can change from season to season.
- 700 block of Laurel: Town at 716, Mama Coco at 753, Faith & Spirits at 765, Spasso at 769, Stamp Bar & Grill at 773, Pranzi at 777, The Cask Wine Bar at 782, and West Park Bistro at 788.
- 600 block of Laurel: Doppio Zero at 617 and Pylos at 621.
- 800 block of Laurel: The Crepe Stop at 852.
- San Carlos Avenue: Esnaf at 1105 and Delizie at 1107.
Every one of these is on a block where the Specific Plan widens the sidewalks and sets a defined dining zone. Each will eventually trade whatever outdoor setup it has now for the plan's 8- or 9-foot zone.
Dates to watch
- November 3, 2026: Measure G is on the ballot. The city's ballot drop-off sites include the San Carlos Library and the City Hall Dog Park.
- Early 2027: Harrington Park is expected to reopen.
- Early 2027: Public Works expects to bring parklet policy options, including terms, conditions and aesthetics, to the council.
- September 15, 2027: The current parklet permits expire unless the council renews them again.
None of these dates is the start of construction on Centennial Plaza, and the city hasn't announced one. Questions about the plan go to [email protected], and the city's Downtown Revitalization e-news list sends updates as they're posted.
I've watched Laurel Street change since well before the first parklet went in, and I'll keep following the early-2027 parklet review and the plaza schedule as they come up. If you own a business or a home near downtown and want to know what the wider sidewalks and the 9-foot zone would mean on your block, call me through Bob Bredel - Main Site and I'll go through the plan's pages with you.
This article is general information, not legal, tax or financial advice. Consult a qualified professional about your situation.
