After a two-week delay, construction has wrapped up along Castro Street’s pedestrian mall, much to the relief of downtown business owners who welcome the return of more foot traffic at the height of the holiday season.

The construction project, which covered the first three blocks of Castro Street, began Nov. 6 and was expected to take about three weeks. The planned upgrades included pavement resurfacing, a new central walkway and a general cleanup of the area with power washing, tree pruning and the clearing out of storm drains.

But inclement weather delayed the construction timeline, which was further hampered by pedestrians traversing across wet asphalt. This necessitated resurfacing touch ups on the street and sidewalks, according to a city update on Nov. 29.

Restaurants and retail stores stayed open during the construction. However, they did have to close down their patios to accommodate the street renovations.

For Laurent Pellet, owner of the French bakery Maison Alyzee, the delays cut into his profit margins with each passing day. “I was really affected by the length of the project,” he said, noting that he still had not received a new patio license to reopen his restaurant for outdoor dining on Dec. 18.

The patios are part of a broader city plan to support small businesses and attract more people to the downtown area. The closure of the 100, 200 and 300 blocks of Castro to cars began as a temporary measure to provide outdoor dining options during the pandemic. But it proved popular enough that the city has taken steps to convert the street into a permanent pedestrian mall.

The new licensing agreement with businesses is meant to be more uniform in its implementation than what occurred during the pandemic, said John Lang, the city’s economic vitality manager.

“This is allowing for a little more equity, where people each have an opportunity to get space. Whether they want to activate it and use it, that’s really upon them,” he said, adding that businesses can seek approval from neighbors if they want to use their space.

So far the city has received 34 applications for patio licenses, said Public Works Director Dawn Cameron. Of these, 14 businesses have completed license agreements, with new patio areas set up for them, while seven are nearly done and likely will have new patios after the new year. The city is working with the remaining 13 businesses to have patios ready by the end of January, Cameron said.

This spring, the city plans to add more decorative elements to the pedestrian mall, as well as signage and intersection improvements at Villa Street and Dana Street. It also is offering a grant program to reimburse businesses for the acquisition of outdoor furniture, up to $5,000, to encourage more social gatherings.

Longer term, the city plans to implement more substantial renovations to the pedestrian mall as it looks to rebuild the sidewalks and street as one level. The undertaking will be far more costly than the construction that already has occurred on Castro Street.

The federal government’s American Rescue Plan Act, a pandemic relief program, provided $1.5 million towards the short-term renovations. The city is looking at another $3 million for the rest of the street improvements this spring and possibly the next year or two, Cameron said.

But for the long-term project of leveling the street and sidewalks, it likely will cost tens of millions, Cameron said, adding that this infrastructural project is still several years out.

“It isn't just digging up the street and putting it back down on one level. We will have to redo drainage, we will have to redo the electrical that's underneath, we have to rebuild the sewer lines and the laterals underneath. So, there's all the underground work we will have to do when we do this,” Cameron said.

Because of the scope of the project, it likely will take at least one to two years to complete, Cameron said, noting that the city plans to stage the construction to minimize the disruption for businesses.

“But it’s still going to be something happening right outside their front door,” she said.

For now, the city is eager to encourage people to return to the pedestrian mall, as more patios are being set up for outdoor dining, with the possibility of ambient music being offered too.

“As the weather gets a little bit better here, you’ll start to see more patios going up and an opportunity to dine out on the street. And the use of the street is going to change … so kind of stay tuned for that,” Lang said.