Public Works Department
DATE: December 2, 2025
TO: Council Transportation Committee
FROM: Joseph Cervantes, Senior Civil Engineer
Robert Gonzales, Principal Civil Engineer
Edward Arango, Assistant Public Works Director/City Engineer
VIA: Jennifer Ng, Public Works Director
SUBJECT: Interim Pedestrian Mall Improvements ( Dana and Villa Intersections ), Project 23-49
RECOMMENDATION
Review and recommend the City Council approve the design concept for Interim Pedestrian Mall Improvements (Dana and Villa Intersections), Project 23-49.
BACKGROUND
Castro Street , between West Evelyn Avenue and California Street , was temporarily closed to vehicular traffic in June 2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic and implemented the Castro StrEATS progam. This program was launched to facilitate outdoor dining within the Castro Street public right -of-way, allow for social distancing, and support the recovery of Mountain View’s downtown businesses. The program has been revised several times since, with the current day being the permanent closure of the 100, 200, and 300 blocks of Castro Street as a pedestrian mall and outdoor dining location. The closure supported local businesses by facilitating outdoor dining, and it was met with tremendous support from businesses and the community.
On October 11, 2022, the City Council adopted resolutions adopting a Negative Declaration in accordance with the California Environmental Quality Act (CEQA) for the pedestrian mall and establishing a pedestrian mall pursuant to the California Streets and Highways Code, introduced an ordinance for establishing a pedestrian mall on Castro Street (adopted on October 25, 2022), and approved a midyear Capital Improvement Program project, Interim Pedestrian Mall Improvements. The establishment of the Castro Street Pedestrian Mall required the traffic control operations at three cross-street intersections to be modified due to elimination of vehicle access on Castro Street. The intersections included California Street, Dana Street, and Villa Street (see Figure 1).
Interim Pedestrian Mall Improvements
(Dana and Villa Intersections), Project 23-49
December 2, 2025
Figure 1: Castro Street Intersections
The Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee (now dissolved since 2023) and City Council have taken several additional actions as shown in Table 1.
Table 1: Council Actions
Date Action/Milestone
March 20, 2023 The Council Ad Hoc Subcommittee for the Interim Castro Street Pedestrian Mall considered several mall items, including intersection operations at Dana Street and Villa Street. The Ad Hoc Subcommittee recommended that Council approve signal
controlled intersection emphasizing pedestrian protection at the Dana Street and Villa Street intersections for permanent ongoing operations of these intersections.
May 9, 2023 Council took several actions related to the Downtown Outdoor Patio and Sidewalk Café Program including directing staff to evaluate single central pedestrian crossing at the Dana Street and Villa Street Intersections.
The improvements at the Dana Street and Villa Street intersections included (see Figure 2):
• Removal of the two pedestrian crossings and conversion into a single centralized crossing at each location;
• Installation of new vehicle and pedestrian signal
infrastructure, vehicle detection, traffic signal poles with
Interim Pedestrian Mall Improvements
(Dana and Villa Intersections), Project 23-49
December 2, 2025
mast arms, hands free pedestrian push buttons with
vocalization and other necessary traffic signal upgrades consistent with current downtown design practices;
• Modification of street curbs; and
• Installation of a combination of bollards and fencing to guide pedestrians to new center street crossings.
October 22, 2024 Council authorized the City Manager or designee to execute a professional services agreement with Kimley -Horn and Associates, Inc., to provide professional design and construction support services in a not-to-exceed amount of $ 870,000. In addition, staff was directed to redesign the concept layouts for the Villa Street and Dana Street intersections to allow pedestrians to cross in alignment with sidewalks and also through the center of the intersections .
Staff was to refer the concepts to the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee and the Council Transportation Committee . Council directed staff to advance the Dana Street and Villa Street intersections through design and construction and to creat e another phase for construction of the Castro Street/ California Street roundabout in a future year due to funding constraints.
Interim Pedestrian Mall Improvements
(Dana and Villa Intersections), Project 23-49
December 2, 2025
Figure 2: Past Concept Layout
DISCUSSION
The consultant and staff have reviewed feedback received from the October 22, 2024 Council meeting and developed concept layouts for the Villa Street and Dana Street intersections. As presented to Council in October 2024, the project will be performed in two phases . Phase 1 will include the design and bid package of the Villa Street and Dana Street intersections ; currently only design is funded and staff will return to Council to seek the appropriate construction funding.
Phase 2 follows Phase 1 and will complete the project by making improvements to the intersection at California Street.
The Villa Street and Dana Street intersection configurations are very similar and include the following elements (see Figures 3 and 4, and Attachment 1):
• Pedestrian crossings aligned with the existing sidewalks along Castro Street, consistent with the existing access configuration;
• A central street crossing that includes 21 ’ wide opening (providing access to emergency vehicles) aligned with the painted pedestrian mall central walkway;
Interim Pedestrian Mall Improvements
(Dana and Villa Intersections), Project 23-49
December 2, 2025
• Removable standard bollards to facilitate access and maintenance at key locations;
• Reuse of the existing round bollards;
• Bulb-outs to shorten pedestrian crossing distances;
• Directional curb ramps at each existing street corner to accommodate multiple pedestrian movements;
• Reuse of the existing decorative fencing to provide a consistent pedestrian mall treatment;
• New traffic signals and pedestrian push buttons;
• New uniform thermoplastic crosswalk treatment that extends the entire width of the street; and
• Refreshed striping.
Figure 3:
Villa Street/Castro Street Concept Layout
Interim Pedestrian Mall Improvements
(Dana and Villa Intersections), Project 23-49
December 2, 2025
Figure 4: Dana Street/Castro Street Intersection Concept Layout
The concept layouts for the two intersections provide for pedestrians using the Castro Street sidewalk to continue walking along the same alignment on Castro Street to cross either Villa Street or Dana Street without the need to use the central crossing. The central crossing accommodates pedestrians using the mall’s central walkway. All pedestrian crossing locations will include pedestrian signals and push buttons. In the east-west direction, pavement markings with limit lines set back from the intersection identify where vehicles stop to wait for a green signal.
Attachment 1 includes details of the various intersection elements shown in Figures 3 and 4 above.
BICYCLE/PEDESTRIAN ADVISORY COMMITTEE
On June 25, 2025, staff presented these same design concepts to the Bicycle/Pedestrian Advisory Committee (BPAC). The BPAC recommended that the Council Transportation Committee ( CTC) approve the design concept. As part of the recommendation, the BPAC provided the following feedback for both intersections, identifying these elements to be evaluated after the project is implemented:
Interim Pedestrian Mall Improvements
(Dana and Villa Intersections), Project 23-49
December 2, 2025
o Adjust signal timing as necessary to provide adequate time for vehicles to clear the intersections to ensure there are no conflicts with pedestrians;
o Install speed humps in advance of the intersection approaches; and
o Evaluate posted speed limits and apply reductions feasible.
Staff will be incorporating the signal timing adjustment requested with the project. Staff will evaluate the speed humps element and will consider this item after the project improvements have been implemented. Lastly, upon the implementation of the intersection changes, staff will conduct a new Engineering and Traffic Survey (speed study) to determine if Dana Street and Villa Street are eligible for a speed limit reduction . If the streets are eligible, staff will apply the applicable reduction provisions allowed under Assembly Bill 43.
NEXT STEPS
Staff will evaluate CTC’s feedback and will forward a recommendation to City Council to approve the design concept. Design for Phase 1 of the project is fully funded. Final design of Phase 1 (Dana and Villa Intersections ) is expected to be completed in summer 2026. Construction funding for Phase 1 has not yet been identified, but staff expects construction funding to be available by design completion. Phase 2 (California intersection) is expected to begin concept design in 2026, after Phase 1 design is complete and construction funding is secured, and staff will return to BPAC and CTC at a future date for review of the California intersection concept design.
PUBLIC NOTICING
In addition to the City’s standard agenda and posting requirements, notices were mailed to residents and property owners within 750’ of the project area.
Attachment: 1. Detailed Concept Layouts
cc: PWD, APWD—Arango, PCE—Gonzales, CTE—Lopez, SCE—Cervantes