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With the soccer World Cup coming to the area this summer, the city of Mountain View is looking to boost the liveliness of its downtown area. One of the ways they plan to do this is by letting people drink alcohol outdoors in certain areas during city-sponsored events.
In a 6-0 vote on Tuesday, with Alison Hicks recused, the City Council backed moving ahead with a local ordinance designating five blocks of Castro Street as an “entertainment zone” where people can openly consume alcohol. The zone would only be activated for specific events hosted by the city.
“It will really be nice to have this area set up so that people can buy a cocktail or a glass of wine somewhere and walk down the street to play cornhole or sit and talk to friends someplace else,” Council member Pat Showalter said. “I’m glad we’re going forward with this.”
Hicks recused herself from the vote because she lives near the affected area.
The plan is to implement the ordinance as an 18-month pilot program starting on May 28. The city will use the pilot period to assess the zone’s impact on the downtown economy and public safety, according to a city staff report.
In 2024, the state legislature passed a law giving municipalities the ability to establish entertainment zones through local ordinances. Bigger cities like San Francisco and San Jose have already taken advantage of this law, and smaller cities, including Palo Alto, are starting to express interest too.
Mountain View’s ordinance will allow for brick-and-mortar businesses with existing alcohol licenses to let patrons take alcoholic beverages off the premises, as long as they stick to the areas designated for open consumption. It does not permit visitors to bring their own alcoholic drinks downtown, the staff report said.
The city’s zone would cover Castro Street from West Evelyn Avenue to Church Street, including the plaza outside City Hall and portions of Villa Street, West Dana Street, California Street and Mercy Street.
The zone would be allowed to operate from 8 a.m. to 11 p.m. seven days a week, but city staff expect most events will happen during a subset of that time frame rather than the full 15 hours, according to the report.
Events not hosted by the city, such as Oktoberfest and the Art and Wine Festival, are already required to obtain special permits from Mountain View and the California Department of Alcoholic Beverage Control. The creation of an entertainment zone would not change this, city spokesperson Lenka Wright told the Voice. These types of special events can have outside vendors sell alcohol, which is not the case for an entertainment zone, she said.
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