Huntington Beach City Council to consider extending Main Street closure through Labor Day

The Huntington Beach City Council on Tuesday night will consider extending the closure of the second block of Main Street through Labor Day.

The second block downtown has been closed since last summer to encourage outdoor dining, and Tuesday’s agenda item would extend that closure through Sept. 6. It is currently closed through the end of February.

Huntington Beach City Council members voted 4-3 on Dec. 21, 2020 to keep the second block of Main Street closed to traffic through February but reopen the third block, which drew opposition from some business owners affected by the decision. The motion by Councilman Erik Peterson was also supported by Mayor Kim Carr, Mayor Pro Tem Tito Ortiz and Natalie Moser, while Barbara Delgleize, Mike Posey and Dan Kalmick voted no.

The City Council is now reexamining the second block closure. The item also calls for staff to engage an urban design firm, as well as for Carr, Ortiz and another council member to serve on an ad hoc Downtown Urban Design Study Committee.

According to the item prepared by director of community development Ursula Luna-Reynosa, “the temporary closure of Main Street has resulted in robust discussions that warrants further study for informed discussions about future placemaking opportunities and better connection to the southern portion of the Downtown as defined in the Downtown Specific Plan.”

Tuesday’s City Council meeting begins at 6 p.m. and can be watched on channel HBTV-3 or online at huntingtonbeach.legistar.com. Residents may send comments on agenda items to supplementalcomm@surfcity-hb.org.

Communications received by 2 p.m. Tuesday will be distributed to the council prior to consideration of agenda-related items.

Residents are encouraged to submit comments during the meeting via Zoom. The Webinar ID is 971 5413 0528 and can be reached via the Zoom app or by calling (669) 900-6833 and entering the ID. Individuals will be placed in a holding queue and prompted to speak when the city clerk announces their name or the last three digits of their phone number.

Time for remarks is limited to three minutes.

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