"Have a seat on Laurel Street!" That's how the City of San Carlos announced the Adirondack chairs it set out after Hometown Days in May. In August the city added more of them. The chairs are movable and inexpensive. Right now they carry a lot of the work of making downtown feel like a place to linger, because the permanent pieces are either behind construction fencing or still waiting on a schedule.

San Carlos is rebuilding its downtown, and in the meantime it has put together a temporary one. You see that temporary version every time you walk Laurel this fall: chairs, a rearranged farmers' market, Friday games on the closed block, and a statue moved to a new corner. The calendar suggests it will stay in place for a while.

What's Behind the Fence, and When It Comes Down

Harrington Park is the small space between Faith & Spirits and Mama Coco on the 700 block of Laurel. The Harrington Park Refresh broke ground there on May 8, 2026. The city's Downtown Revitalization page was updated through late September and still gives early 2027 as the expected completion.

According to the city's project FAQ, the finished park will include:

• A gathering and event plaza
• A small building with two public all-gender restrooms, one ADA-accessible with a universal changing station, plus storage and mechanical space
• Seating, a rain garden and a shaded tree grove
• Memorial bricks and room for public art

Ten trees came out for the project. The plan replaces them with eight in the park and two on Laurel Street. Much of the work so far won't be visible later. In June, crews installed Silva Cells under the park. These are underground structures that give tree roots room to grow and filter stormwater before it runs off.

The FAQ breaks the cost into parts and doesn't give a single total. The pieces are a $5.2 million construction award, a contingency of up to $1 million, and about $1 million for construction management, outreach, design and engineering.

The larger project hasn't started. The 700 block has been closed to cars since June 2020, when the closure began as pandemic outdoor seating. The City Council made the closure permanent with Ordinance No. 1605 on December 11, 2023. It adopted a final plaza design as Resolution 2025-115 on October 14, 2025. That design includes new paving, rain gardens, custom seating, a pavilion, lighting, bike parking and drinking fountains. A possible water feature is being decided through a separate public process. The official plan page also says construction documents are still in progress and that the 700 block construction schedule has not been determined, pending funding and Council direction.

So the two dates look like this. Harrington Park has a target in early 2027. The block around it has an approved drawing and no start date. Until that changes, the chairs and other temporary fixes are what the 700 block has.

The Temporary Fixes Holding Downtown Together

The city's revitalization blog reads like a log of small adjustments made to keep foot traffic moving during construction.

The farmers' market moved. Since 2021 the Sunday market had used a curbside "promenade" layout. On May 3, 2026, after feedback from downtown businesses, the city worked with the Urban Village Farmers' Market Association and fire officials to move vendor booths away from the curbs. The market expanded into the Wheeler Plaza parking area, and Cherry Street reopened to traffic and parking. The market still runs Sundays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m., year-round, rain or shine, at 600 Laurel Street near Cherry. EBT shoppers get a dollar-for-dollar match of up to $15 on qualifying fruits and vegetables.

The blue man moved too. Balancing Act, the downtown statue, now stands near Laurel and Cherry Streets.

Wheeler Plaza became an event space. About 500 fans gathered there in June for the city's watch party of the USA's World Cup opener against Paraguay. Many bought takeout from downtown restaurants to eat during the match. A second watch party, for the match against Bosnia and Herzegovina, followed in early July.

Friday evenings got a program. Under the "Life on Laurel" name, the closed block has hosted cornhole, checkers, Connect 4 and Jenga. The posted schedule covered downtown yoga on September 18, a games night on September 25 and an obstacle-course fitness evening on October 1, each from 5 to 7 p.m. That schedule currently ends with October 1. The city describes fall and winter activities in general terms but hasn't posted later dates yet.

Some of the fixes are just steady attention. City staff have emailed nearby businesses ahead of each round of work in Cowgill Alley, the service lane north of the 700 block. That work ran from late May into June, returned on July 23, started again on August 17 and was back on September 23. When a storm drain trench crossed Laurel in May, the construction crew covered it with steel plates so the Hometown Days parade could go through on May 16. In June, the Adult Community Center's Lunch Bunch held its monthly outing at Mama Coco, right next to the construction.

The newest addition is two Downtown Revitalization information boards on the 700 block, scheduled for installation the week of September 28. One goes in the raised planter near Diddams and the other near U.S. Bank.

The Storefronts Changing Around the Construction

Shops have kept opening and closing during all of this, and the changes fit the same picture.

The newest arrival on Laurel is an art gallery. Muditā, a South Asian art gallery, opened at 653 Laurel Street. It held weekend soft openings before a community celebration on September 12 and 13. A restaurant called Casa Mia has been announced for 677 Laurel Street, Suite B. As of late August, no opening date had been announced. A few blocks away, Zac's Bar & Grill opened September 1 at 1748 El Camino Real, in the space that used to be The Office Bar & Grill.

Two familiar stops are on their way out. Dona's Hallmark has been part of downtown for nearly 50 years. A local blog reported in August that it is closing because business has declined. No final day has been confirmed. The Starbucks at 1187 San Carlos Avenue, at the downtown corner with Laurel, was reported to have closed on September 26, along with the Industrial Road location at 1135. SFGate listed both addresses as presumed closures and noted that Starbucks had not confirmed its California list.

In the same August post, the local blog argued that non-restaurant shops on the block have struggled since the street closed to cars. Several commenters agreed, and others said they enjoy the closed street and its outdoor dining. The city's response so far has been incremental: moving market booths off the curbs, adding seating, programming Friday nights and sending advance construction notices.

What Isn't Settled Yet

The open question most relevant to anyone eating on Laurel is the restaurant parklets. A draft list from the city's Downtown Prosperity Team floats one potential approach. Existing 700 block parklets would stay until a later construction phase, Phase 1B, begins. Businesses would then get six months' notice to vacate and salvage materials. The same draft notes that Faith & Spirits' parklet would be affected by earlier drainage work, with the city arranging interim outdoor dining. None of this is an adopted rule, and no Council action has set a start date for Phase 1B.

The policy framework is in place. The Council finalized the Downtown Specific Plan on January 26, 2026, and it took effect February 25. The open question is timing. The current layout of parklets, chairs and booths stays until that is decided.

The Fall Calendar on Laurel

These events take place in and around the construction:

1. San Carlos Art & Wine Faire, October 10 and 11, 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Expect more than 200 artists and crafters, live bands, wine, craft beer and the Family Fun Zone. The Sunday farmers' market is closed that weekend, so there's no market on October 11. The city's faire page has parking and transportation details.
2. Goblin Walk, October 30, 4 to 5:30 p.m. It runs along downtown Laurel Street from San Carlos Avenue to Arroyo Avenue.
3. Diwali, November 14. The date is on the city's events calendar, but the detail page still says to stay tuned, so check for the location closer to the date.
4. Night of Holiday Lights, December 4, 5 to 8:30 p.m. It covers Laurel Street from San Carlos Avenue to Cherry Street, with the main stage on Cherry.

All four events fall before Harrington Park's early 2027 target, so this fall and holiday season will take place with the fencing still up on the 700 block.

Downtown changes like these affect how a neighborhood feels day to day, and Stephanie follows them closely as a lifetime Peninsula resident. If you're wondering how the Laurel Street rebuild might fit into your own plans in San Carlos, Stephanie Nash is glad to talk it through. Let's Connect.