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"We are seeing literally hundreds of people coming not just from Menlo Park, but from the surrounding area, to our downtown," Downtown Menlo Fund chair Marnie Foody told the City Council on Oct. 13, according to The Almanac. She was speaking for the plaza on the 600 block of Santa Cruz Avenue. The Fund's free monthly music series uses that plaza as its main stage. She said the Fund had hoped to grow the series to a full schedule of events in 2027.

Ten days later, Fourth Fridays held its October edition. On its own events page, the Fund says the series "runs through the warmer months" and that dates for next season are still being set. So the first season ended at the same time a council majority began leaning toward a smaller plaza. Whatever the council decides about one lane of traffic will shape what next summer's Fridays look like.

Six Years of a Closed Lane

The 600 block has been closed to eastbound traffic since 2020. The original purpose was to give downtown restaurants and shops more outdoor space during the COVID-19 pandemic. In June 2025 the council voted to keep it closed, partly because so many residents were using it as a gathering spot. Most councilmembers then backed a permanent public plaza. They pointed to teenagers using the block after school and to its potential for large community events.

The city put money into that plan. City staff told the council they had spent about $61,000 on furniture and $30,000 on a consultant to design the permanent plaza, leaving about $250,000 for the project. Economic Development Director Collette Hanna said construction under the current plans was estimated to finish by the end of 2027.

Fourth Fridays arrived partway through that planning. The series launched on July 24 with live music and businesses staying open late, and The Almanac covered the crowds on opening night. At the Oct. 13 meeting, Foody said downtown business owners had told the Fund their sales jumped during the events. She also said losing the plaza would limit the Fund's ability to keep hosting the series.

How the Last Fourth Friday Used the Street

The October 23 lineup shows how the series spreads across downtown, and where its center is. Music ran from 6 to 9 p.m., with the first set starting earlier inside a bookstore.

Stage	Performer	Location
Feldman's Books, 5–6 p.m.	Diego Ortiz	Inside Feldman's Books on Curtis Street
Plaza Stage	Country Cougars, with line dancing	Center of the 600 block plaza
Borrone Plaza	Clint Baker & The All Stars	The Cafe Borrone and British Bankers Club plaza
Crane Stage	Sean Biggar	Outside Mademoiselle Colette, near Roma
Chestnut Stage	Riekestra Band	Wells Fargo entrance at Santa Cruz Ave. and Chestnut St.
Kids Stage	Steven Koehler, balloon artist	Corridor near Chase, Aveda, Susie Cakes and Cheeky Monkey
Gallery House	Rick Sanders	Inside Gallery House

Most of the stages on that list are doorways, corridors and indoor rooms. Only two are open plazas big enough for a band and a crowd: the 600 block and the Borrone plaza on El Camino Real. The line dancing went on the 600 block. In September, InMenlo's preview also put the bands on those same two plazas, with more music along Santa Cruz Avenue and an artist talk by Edna Acri at The Main Gallery.

The kids' stage corridor runs off the same block. The Downtown Menlo directory lists Cheeky Monkey Toys at 640 Santa Cruz Ave. and La Migliore Aveda Concept Salon at 644, near Bar Loretta at 639 and Bistro Vida at 641. The same directory places Stacks at 600, Kyosho Sushi at 605 and Cold Stone Creamery at 611 at the other end of the block. On a Fourth Friday, those storefronts face the main stage.

What the Council Leaned Toward on Oct. 13

The study session didn't settle anything. After discussion, a majority of councilmembers supported piloting a redesign that would reopen the eastbound lane, remove the bike lane, and keep a smaller gathering area in the parking spaces. Councilmember Drew Combs suggested running the pilot for six months to a year. The data would then be compared against two other ways the block has been set up:

The current, larger plaza, with the eastbound lane closed.
The hybrid pilot: one eastbound lane open, no bike lane, and a smaller gathering area in the parking spaces.
The pre-COVID layout, with both traffic lanes open.

"What I'm proposing is something that punts this to a new council in a year, but at that point they will have additional data points about how (this option) looks in practice," Combs said, as quoted by The Almanac.

Mayor Betsy Nash told the council she had done a "complete 180" on the plaza over the past month. She cited trash around the space and said closing Santa Cruz Avenue to traffic could get in the way of construction on nearby downtown projects. Those projects include a proposed six-story residential building at 800 Oak Grove Ave. and the council's effort to get housing built on three downtown parking lots. "I'd actually love to see a plaza expanded at some point and generally a larger pedestrian area downtown, I just think right now is not the time," Nash said, according to the same report.

Councilmember Jeff Schmidt was the one dissent. He supported going ahead with the permanent plaza and worried that a pilot would unsettle a proposal that was already concrete. "It's almost like dropping the ball at the 10-yard line before you score a goal," he said.

City Manager Justin Murphy said the next step is a council vote on reopening the lane at a future meeting. The report said it wasn't clear how long a switch to the smaller layout would take. The council's Oct. 27 agenda didn't include the item. For now the plaza stays as it is, and the decision is still ahead.

The Street Around It Keeps Turning Over

The plaza debate is happening while downtown's storefronts change. In June, the council changed zoning so that salons, spas and similar personal-service businesses can open on Santa Cruz Avenue ground floors without a conditional-use permit. Small recreation uses such as gyms still need discretionary approval. The Almanac described the change as a response to downtown vacancies.

That same month, Left Bank Brasserie at 635 Santa Cruz Ave. served its last dinner after 28 years downtown, as The Almanac reported. No successor has been announced for the space.

One block west, a restaurant reopened under a new concept in October. Palo Alto Online reported that Mrs Khan, at 712 Santa Cruz Ave., reopened on Oct. 14 as Dragon General with chef-owner Minjun Li. The menu covers Dongbei, Beijing, Shanghai, Hunan and Sichuan cooking, along with housemade dim sum. Li named the crispy sweet and sour pork and the Peking duck, served whole or half for $48 to $88, as dishes to order. The restaurant now serves beer and wine. According to the same report, Dragon General is open Wednesday through Monday, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. and 5 to 9 p.m., and was offering 12% off during its soft opening, with no grand opening date set.

A street with open storefronts and newly allowed uses is the kind of downtown the plaza was supposed to help. That's why Foody's point about business owners' sales carries weight in the decision.

Where the Winter Calendar Lands

With Fourth Fridays off until next season, the holiday events are spread out across town. None of the city's events is set on the 600 block:

Cocoa at the Campus, Monday, Nov. 30, 6–7 p.m., at the Belle Haven Community Campus, 100 Terminal Ave. The city lists youth performances, cocoa and mini churros. Free.
Shop local! Light Up the Season, Friday, Dec. 4, 5:30–7 p.m., at Fremont Park, Santa Cruz Avenue at University Drive, with performances, cocoa and a tree lighting.
Springline's fifth annual Holiday Celebration, Saturday, Dec. 5, listed as a public event on Springline's lifestyle page. No time has been posted yet.
Photos with Santa, Saturday, Dec. 12, 8:30 a.m.–12:30 p.m., at the Arrillaga Family Recreation Center, 700 Alma St. The fee is $5, and reservations open Nov. 2 at 9 a.m.

Light Up the Season is the closest the winter gets to a Fourth Friday. It's on a Friday evening and on Santa Cruz Avenue, with performances and something warm to drink, but it takes place in Fremont Park. Two smaller library events also fill out November: Tellabration! on Nov. 21 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Menlo Park Library, 800 Alma St., and an online StoryFest on Nov. 12.

The Downtown Menlo Fund has asked musicians and anyone else who wants to get involved in next season to email [email protected]. When the council votes on the lane, it will decide whether those 2027 dates have a full block to use or a smaller gathering area in the parking spaces.

We've spent our careers watching Peninsula downtowns change one block at a time, and the 600 block is one we'll keep following through the winter. If you'd like to talk through what changes on Santa Cruz Avenue could mean for your plans in Menlo Park, The Costantini Team would be glad to sit down with you. Schedule a Consultation, and we'll start with what's happening downtown.