How San Mateo's new street closure has helped some businesses and hurt others

San Mateo is one of many Bay Area cities trying to revitalize its downtown. While they are having some success, not everyone likes the way they've gone about it, closing two city blocks to cars.

It started out as a pilot program after the pandemic -- pushing cars away from two city blocks in downtown San Mateo and allowing pedestrians to be in the driver's seat, so to speak.

"It'll be closed the next three to five years and we're making the best of it," said Mackenzie Jakoubek executive director of the Downtown San Mateo Association.

She oversees 550 businesses in the area, and about 150 are food-related services.

Most restaurant owners are happy having B Street between 1st Ave and 3rd Ave a pedestrian-only experience.

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"It's good for us, yes. I don't know about everybody but it's good for us, we like it, we want to keep it," expressed Derek Shen, owner of the New Thai Elephant.

Local businesses say they have seen fewer drivers speeding on busy 3rd Ave.

"Now you have parklets. I have one here, the other businesses have parklets on the same street so it kind of slowed people down," explained Rafat Haddad, who owns 3 Bees Coffee.

But some people don't like the closure, people in cars like delivery truck drivers who have to park several blocks away to then haul their goods.

Carolina Valle of Los Amigos Imports says her 29-year family-owned business has suffered.

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"About 45 percent, we've lost. A lot of customers because customers, they don't like to park far away," explained Valle.

The owner of Sajj Mediterranean wrote ABC7 News an email stating, "Some of the concerns from local businesses include lack of parking, operational challenges, lack of business and safety."

He also says his take-out business has tanked because parking is nearly impossible to find.

San Mateo seems to be working on these issues by installing more of these green zones with a limit of 24 minutes to allow for a quick pick-up.

The city council also recently approved designated parking spots for food delivery services like Uber Eats.

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That still doesn't help Valle and the nearby shoe store.

"Unfortunately restaurants have more say than the mom-and-pop shops and there are only two businesses that have been here for over 25 years and we have no word in say," complained Valle.

We asked San Mateo's Mayor how the city expects to help them, especially the owner of the local shoe repair shop.

"Well, what happens and is happening is that people come walking down the mall and they go, 'I didn't even know there was a shoe repair store in San Mateo, wow, I'm going to come back,'" said Mayor Lisa Diaz Nash.

"We went from a primarily 9 to 5 economy to an afternoon, lunch to evening economy," she added.

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While the downtown area seems to be flourishing, it's the weekends that tend to bring the bulk of their clientele.

"During the weekend you are going to see a lot of younger generation, they walk around, I feel every business is busy," said Shen.

City officials told us they're working to bolster the number of visitors during the week by offering something that other Bay Area cities struggle with.

"The new businesses that I've seen coming in, I always ask them what brought you to downtown San Mateo, and what I've heard over and over again is we feel really safe here, we hear really good things about the safety. Happy to report that," said Jakoubek.

San Mateo city officials are also counting on a number of new housing developments nearby to help bring more business to the downtown area.

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