SLO considers plan for a café and new restrooms in Mission Plaza
An updated design for improvements to Mission Plaza includes space for a new kiosk-style café, new restrooms to replace aging facilities and fewer locations where transients can loiter.
After hearing from parents and community members that drug needles and paraphernalia have been found in the plaza area, the city drafted a list of goals that include improving lighting, reducing places to hide out, encouraging more pedestrian traffic through the addition of a café, and removing the existing trellis on the Murray Adobe’s patio area.
Conceptual ideas for upgrading the plaza have been in the works since 2017.
City funding for the estimated $700,000 first phase of the project is not yet available.
But the latest preliminary designs are moving forward with the possibility that funding could come in the future, said Richard Burde, a city engineer.
The City Council has considered floating a sales tax increase in the 2020 election, but it hasn’t decided on that formally yet.
“I have a lot of appreciation with how (the Mission Plaza design) process has gone, with thoughtful consideration of a lot of feedback (from the community),” said Councilwoman Andy Pease. “Overall, I’m super supportive. I’m excited about the design.”
Café, food trucks considered with new SLO plaza redesign
Part of the design includes a small, permanent kiosk that would serve coffee and a limited food menu.
That likely would require a private/public partnership in which a business operates the café through a lease agreement with the city, Burde said. Council members expressed support for that option.
But they were divided and more cautious about the idea of adding food trucks to the area, after SLO staff suggested adding space for two trucks.
The Downtown SLO organization, which hosts the summertime Concerts in the Plaza series, has a mission of fostering an economically vibrant downtown and opposes the idea of food trucks because of direct competition with local businesses.
Councilwoman Carlyn Christianson said she supports a smaller, permanent café, closer to the Mission, to offer a visual attraction for visitors coming from Broad Street looking toward Chorro Street. But she opposed food trucks.
“Maybe a little kiosk on wheels might be the initial thing, but not food trucks,” Christianson said. “They’re really big. They’re really ugly. ... They basically do conflict with one of the major stakeholders that does many, many, many events here.”
Mayor Heidi Harmon and Councilwoman Erica Stewart said they were open to the idea of food trucks, but also wanted to respect the considerations of Downtown SLO and existing local businesses.
Other ideas for Mission Plaza
City officials said the existing restrooms have been long overdue for replacement, and the new facilities would add compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
The design proposal is part of an initial phase of a Mission Plaza upgrade, which in later phases could add other features such as an expanded patio area near the bear statue, a splash pad, and a sculpture garden.
The Phase 1 design would include removing a grassy area near the bathroom and close to the creek, said Debbie Rudd of RRM Design, a city consultant on the project.
New lights would help illuminate the area and zoom in on the Murray Adobe, which once was a larger building in the 1800s, before a portion of the edifice was torn down in the 1880s
“We like to reduce hiding spaces and make it more visible,” Rudd said. “(The design) activates the area with food and beverage, and creates a hub of activity at this end like exists on the other end of the plaza already.”
The design calls for a plaque to honor the previous portion of the Murray Adobe and leaves space to potentially rebuild the missing piece, honoring its historical structure.
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