The majority of temporary parklets in Long Beach will disappear by the end of this month as the City phases out the COVID-19 era program and encourages business owners to apply for permanent parklets.
The temporary parklet program was implemented in 2020 to assist businesses struggling with restrictions on indoor dining during the height of the pandemic. Since then, the program has been extended multiple times, with city officials often citing the need to help businesses “get back on their feet.”
At the height of the program, 112 parklets existed in the City. Today, only 80 parklets remain. Of those, 30 have expressed interest in setting up a permanent parklet, 17 of which are located in Belmont Shore.
With indoor dining back in action and mask requirements lifted, the program is poised to end next month. Business owners who apply for a permanent parklet—a costly process that requires design schematics, application fees and city review—will be able to keep their temporary parklets up until Sept. 30.
Businesses must express interest for a permanent parklet by June 20 and submit their formal application by Aug. 1.
The decision came after hours of deliberation by council members and a lengthy public comment session where impassioned residents and business owners spoke to the benefits and drawbacks of temporary parklets.
Residents cited concerns about reduced parking, impacts on neighborhood character, mobility challenges for people with disabilities, increased levels of noise, limited visibility on busy streets and the takeover of public space.
“The overreaches and abuses seen by bars and restaurants in Belmont Shore are unlike anything you’ve seen or are likely to see in your own districts,” Belmont Shore resident Rita Santos-Oyama said. “Please understand and respect that the unique landscape and density of our neighborhood is not at all safe or conducive to the ongoing assault of community standards.”
Business owners urged the council to extend the temporary parklet program, explaining that residents still prefer outdoor dining and pointing out that the pandemic is not yet over.
“The parklet thing did save us and to this day does save us. A lot of people in Long Beach don’t want to sit inside yet. They’re concerned, rightly so,” said Jimmy Loizides, owner of George’s Greek Cafe.
Loizides said he’s started the permanent parklet application process, but the architectural and design process has stalled. His sister Nicky Loizides said that it “doesn’t make financial sense to spend an exorbitant amount of money” to install permanent parklets.
One business owner said he was quoted $40,000 to $60,000 to build a permanent parklet.
Traffic engineer Carl Hickman emphasized that temporary parklets were always meant to be just that: temporary.
With a permanent parklet application, Hickman is able to review street speeds, visibility and neighborhood impacts to ensure the safety of a parklet. He’s also able to weed out bad actors: businesses who don’t keep their K-rails filled with water, whose insurance on the parklets might lapse or who have received complaints from local residents.
“I do think that these temporary parklets need to come to an end,” Councilmember Cindy Allen said. “I know that we have done everything that we can do when the restaurants really needed our help.”
Though council members were in agreement that temporary parklets should come to an end, many raised concerns about the City’s handling of the parklet process.
Members of the council grilled city staff on concerns raised by the public: emails stating that the City wasn’t accepting new permanent parklet applications, limited architectural firms to design parklet structures, lack of information about how to apply and a lack of proactive education about whether businesses are likely to have their permit accepted.
“We can always do better but I think here at the staff table, to us the process is pretty straightforward,” Development Services Director Christopher Koontz said. “But a permanent parklet may be inappropriate for many of the businesses that may have a temporary one.”
Hickman said that, of the 30 businesses interested in creating a permanent parklet, he’s already deemed 10 as infeasible locations.
Hickman said that he lets those businesses know that their location is infeasible only if they contact his department to follow-up about a parklet application, but that his department has not proactively reached out to those businesses.
“One of the things that’s fair to the businesses is that we’re proactively honest with them,” Mayor Robert Garcia said. “If it’s not feasible from a traffic perspective, from a safety perspective, I’m just hoping that we’re being honest with them and telling them this is not going to work.”
Hickman and Modica said they would reach out to businesses with parklets to let them know about the new deadlines and application process.
“We have to err on the side that we need to do better, generally,” Councilmember Rex Richardson said. “It was great to hear and to listen, but generally I encourage better communication on the part of all the stakeholders so we don’t have to spend three hours on this next time.”
