Restaurants and bars applying for permanent parklets in Long Beach can keep their temporary fixtures up through the 5th extension of the City’s temporary parklets program.
The motion to extend the program until Jan. 2, 2022 was brought forward by Mayor Robert Garcia and passed unanimously by the council 9-0 Tuesday night. Garcia said the most recent extension was due to staffing shortages, saying the City’s staff was “burdened with a lot of issues in terms of time capacity since the pandemic.”
“We haven’t been able to allocate these permits for the parklets, I think it’s only fair we give them the opportunity to have everything they need to make these parklets permissible,” councilmember Mary Zendejas said.
Once a restaurant gets approval from the city, they have to go through the California Coastal Commission, which “plans and regulates the use of land and water in the coastal zone,” according to its website.
The temporary parklet program was introduced in 2020 to help businesses remain afloat during the pandemic while indoor dining was restricted. At the height of the program, 112 parklets were erected throughout the city. That number was at 80 in June and has now dwindled to the 19 restaurants still in the application phase, not including those that are in the process of taking their parklets down.
Those attempting to keep their parklets up are Nicos in Naples, Long Beach Beer Lab, Open Sesame, The Breakfast Bar, The Attic, Wrigley Tavern and more.
A handful of residents from throughout the city expressed their disapproval for the extensions given for temporary parklets, citing concerns over parking and intoxicated individuals in the streets.
“I heard from residents that some concerns are connected to bars and issues of quality of life, not only parking,” said councilwoman Suely Saro. “How are we making sure there’s a balance of those with parklets and [issuing] Alcoholic Beverage Control licenses.”
Saro explained that the only restaurant in her district that is applying for a permanent parklet is the Wrigley Tavern, which she said she “would love to give more time” for them to figure out how to keep their parklet up.
Garcia reminded the council that not every restaurant that applied will be given a permanent license. He said they have potential, but must “meet accessibility standards and high design standards” that the temporary parklets do not currently adhere to.
Every applicant must also submit for public consent from the neighborhood’s citizen group. If any neighborhood association sends a formal letter of opposition about a restaurant’s parklet remaining up, Lopez explained that Public Works will not “move forward” with their application.
Director of Public Work Eric Lopez said that the City is currently “refining its mailing list” so they can inform residents and neighborhood groups on what restaurants are applying for permanent parklets.
In order to more quickly clear out certain parklets, councilwoman Stacy Mungo offered a friendly amendment that would give restaurants two weeks to take down their parklet if they “miss a critical deadline or they’re deemed unfeasible.”
