Special to the Town Crier
When the Mountain View City Council passed an ordinance last month banning plastic furniture and canopies from its sidewalk cafés, it didn't expect the barrage of satire that emerged from Bay Area journalists poised to take on the "ambiance" issue.
Calling downtown Mountain View a "plastic-free zone" and poking fun at the city's "middle-brow chic," one columnist offered ironic comparisons to Palo Alto's "wicker only" image.
But Ellis Berns, Mountain View economic development manager, said the City Council's interim ordinance on sidewalk café guidelines is meant to "improve the appearance and feeling of downtown Mountain View."
"The adopted ordinance was a suggestion from the City Council's Downtown Advisory Committee comprised of 15 members representing merchants and property owners," Berns said. The committee has representatives from the Central Business Association, downtown merchants, the chamber of commerce and the city council. Its subcommittees address issues of parking, ambiance and economic development.
"Now that the journalistic furor has died down, the merchants who serve food and beverages in the city right-of-way (sidewalks outside the restaurants) are eager to comply with our ordinance. They are applying for licenses to operate on what is actually the city property," Berns said.
Merchants are submitting plans, including specifications of their outdoor patio areas, and will probably use iron, metal or wood furniture to accommodate customers.
"The Central Business Association and the downtown merchants are making a big investment in terms of improving the character and feeling of the area," Berns said.
Because other materials are more expensive than plastic, the city has initiated a Facade Grant to reimburse merchants $1 for every $3 spent specifically on outdoor furniture, up to a cap of $1,000.
Mountain View expects to have most of the new furniture in place by next month. There are 12 applications already submitted for compliance with the sidewalk ordinance and several establishments have already implemented new furniture including, the Global Village Café, Gelato's Classico Ice Cream and a Thai restaurant.
"No, we're not trying to compete with Los Altos or Palo Alto in the ambiance department," Berns said. "We're developing a character of our own. We're trying to attract people to downtown.
"We're positioning ourselves as a city where people can enjoy eating outdoors, especially during the upcoming summer months when there are increased numbers of visitors to our shops and restaurants."