With mixed enthusiasm, the Capitola City Council decided Thursday to close most of the village to cars on Oct. 13 for a non-organized festival that would appeal mostly to locals who suffer from tourist crowds through most of the summer.
The city followed the lead of Santa Cruz which will close off West Cliff Drive to cars for part of the same Sunday, as it did last year.
The council viewed it as an experiment.
"I'm sure we'll hear about it," said Mayor Stephanie Harlan, when someone asked for a report on the success of the day.
"This will be a local event and we won't advertise out of the area," said Councilman Dennis Norton.
The notion was controversial. Some merchants, including the owner of Paradise Grille, said merchants in the village already suffered through long winters of fewer shoppers and didn't want to cut traffic that would bring business.
Others said it would encourage thousands of locals to walk and bicycle to the village and appreciate it with no car traffic.
"I'm for events, but I don't like disorganization downtown," said Ed Bottorff, who objected to the event which the city hasn't had staff or money to organize.
The council noted that it would lose $2,000 in parking revenue that day, which could bring criticism when people down the road need city money.
They weren't sure what they wanted, exactly, and joked about bringing in "dog fights." Skateboarding was one option, stores having tables outside was another. Music was also discussed, including the ukelele club which meets in the village Sundays. The thought was that if they opened it, people would come and figure out how to fill the space.
Councilman Michael Termini wanted the day to occur deep into the summer when the Esplanade was packed with "10,000 cars not moving." He said he thought that might help people see how enjoyable the village can be without traffic and could extend to more summer weekends.
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