WALNUT CREEK — Seeking to uplift small businesses, an entertainment zone could be coming to downtown Walnut Creek that would permit established shops to sell alcohol for public consumption during special events.
The idea, brought forward by the Walnut Creek Downtown Association, has been spreading across the Bay Area. Similar zones have been established in San Francisco and San Jose, and are being considered in Mountain View and Santa Clara.
Cities are allowed to create so-called “entertainment zones” due to Senate Bill 969. The legislation adopted in 2024 permits jurisdictions to create areas where patrons can purchase an alcoholic drink from a brick-and-mortar business and consume that drink in the public right-of-way.
“There’s been a lot of success in activation of the streets and bringing communities together,” Economic Development Manager Mike Nimon said about San Francisco’s success during a council meeting Tuesday.
How the entertainment zone will work will be laid out in a management plan that will be brought to the City Council for a vote in the near future. The plan must include information like security protocols, sanitation measures, how ages will be verified and other guidelines for participating businesses.
A draft plan submitted by the Walnut Creek Downtown Association envisions a zone bound by North California Boulevard, Civic Drive, North Broadway and Mt. Diablo Boulevard.
The zone would be activated for special one-day events and interested businesses would have to hold a valid license with the state Alcoholic Beverage Control Department and be in good standing with the agency before registering to participate, according to the draft plan.
The plan currently is to activate the zone twice a year, during the annual Locust Street Festival, Walnut Creek Downtown Association Executive Director Kathy Hemmenway said Tuesday. The festival will be held from 5 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. July 8 and August 5 this year.
“We see it as a really positive, modern way to help our small businesses and be able to exceed their daily revenue and be able to continue to put Walnut Creek out in front as a regional destination,” Hemmenway said.
Additional events could be hosted in the zone if the association wanted, and different entertainment zones could be created in other parts of the city if a nonprofit sponsor seeks to establish one, Nimon said.
The zones are now permitted thanks to a new ordinance adopted unanimously by councilmembers Tuesday. That ordinance established entertainment zones as a two-year pilot program that will be reconsidered before it sunsets.
Some details may still need to be worked out, like how the association would ensure businesses that are only licensed to sell beer and wine are not selling mixed drinks during an event, Hemmenway said.
Businesses are responsible for abiding by their license, Nimon said, noting he hasn’t heard of similar issues in other areas with entertainment zones.
Wristbands will need to be issued to people of legal drinking age and participating businesses will be required to verify that customers are 21 years old or older before selling them alcohol, per a new entertainment zone ordinance.
“The rules are clear. The adherence to the rules are always a question,” Councilmember Cindy Silva said.
Alcohol sales have long been part of the Locust Street Festival, but have been solely managed by the Walnut Creek Downtown Association and volunteers running the booths, Hemmenway said.
By establishing an entertainment zone, Hemmenway said the city would be expanding the number of eyes and ears covering the event by partnering with businesses and their staff who will be trained on event protocols.
Responding to questions around enforcement of alcohol consumption laws, Police Chief Ryan Hibbs said he has no major concerns. The department has met with the Walnut Creek Downtown Association on its proposal and has never had issues during past events, he said.
“Our position on this is that Walnut Creek Downtown has thought this out pretty thoroughly,” Hibbs said. “I’m very confident if we were to raise issues that they would be addressed promptly.”
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