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G Street grand opening set

City Announces G Street Grand Opening on Jan. 27

By: Barbara Archer, City of Davis

The City of Davis is excited to announce the grand opening of G Street on Jan. 27 from 12-1 p.m. at the corner of G and 3rd Streets. This free event will include speakers, music, some refreshments and a ribbon cutting for all to enjoy. Afterwards, the City warmly encourages attendees to explore and visit the businesses on G Street and throughout downtown Davis. The City of Davis is dedicated to supporting businesses, fostering positive and productive partnerships and enhancing our thriving communities. 

The City is sincerely grateful to everyone, especially businesses on G Street, who have been patiently waiting for the opening of G Street while construction has been completed and cleaning and maintenance have been finalized, as mentioned in a previous update on the G Street webpage. While the finishing touches were being completed on the construction, the City has put measures in place to ensure that key operational and maintenance responsibilities, that are essential to long-term success of the space, are ready to implement starting day one. The City will be maintaining the furniture and platforms on G Street, that are not rented by businesses, with pressure washing, leaf blowing, surface cleaning when needed, trash pickup, lighting upkeep and other maintenance tasks. While the first phase of infrastructures is complete and ready for community enjoyment, the City plans to implement a second phase to make further enhancements to the space over time, including additional furniture/group seating, art and family-friendly activities, music/special events, signage and more.

“We are very excited that the platforms are completed and the space will soon reopen to the community,” said City of Davis Mayor Bapu Vaitla. “There is much more to come from the City to revitalize this area, including offering space to be rented for events, larger group seating and pavement improvements. We’re confident that G Street will be a hub of community life, a place where people can come and enjoy being together in the open-air environment while supporting the small businesses that make our downtown great.” 

This project was made possible by a Davis City Council allocation of $1 million from American Rescue Plan Act funds. With the $1 million, the City was able to construct the platforms and purchase furniture and lighting to initially set up the space and have seating ready for the community to use. The platforms are approximately 18 feet wide and extend from both sides of the sidewalk into the street. The platforms maintain drainage pathways and connect to existing stormwater infrastructure while still making the space flat and accessible to all. The shared-use space in the middle of the street is approximately 20 feet wide and allows for fire vehicle access and flexible space for larger group and special events. On the west side of the street, the platform lines up with the sidewalk with metal plates that help this transition. On the east side of the street, the sidewalk is lower than the platform due to the pitch of the street. Therefore, three ADA ramps have been installed provide safe access to the platform.

The furniture that is currently placed there is vibrantly-colored and allows for different kinds of seating. Additionally, students from the UC Davis Design and Build Studio class constructed brightly colored, giant, Adirondack chairs that will be placed at G Street before the grand opening to help create visual appeal and a fun photo-op location. In February, additional pavement graphics will be added on the street that will help to further the atmosphere of fun, engagement and community.   

Businesses that front G Street will be able to annually rent space on the platforms to have exclusive outdoor dining as an extension of their businesses through the Downtown Outdoor Dining Program.  Businesses that rent platform space will be able to utilize their own furnishings, including group seating, heaters, planters, umbrellas, swamp coolers and more, pursuant to the City’s furnishing requirements and design standards.

For more information about the G Street Activation Project, visit: https://www.cityofdavis.org/city-hall/g-street-activation-project. Businesses interested in the Downtown Outdoor Dining Program can visit: https://www.cityofdavis.org/city-hall/economic-development-sustainability/downtown-outdoor-dining-program.

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