Carpinteria Considering Permanent Parklet Permit Program for Downtown Businesses | Local News - Noozhawk.com

2022-07-31 01:59:21 By : Ms. Joy Zhao

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The draft program undergoes a preliminary evaluation by the Architectural Review Board and is set to go to the city's Planning Commission

Temporary parklets that were introduced with the COVID-19 pandemic for outdoor dining and social distancing could be staying in Carpinteria as the city is working to develop a permanent parklet permit program.

Currently, the program that allows businesses to have the temporary parklets is set to end on Dec. 31, but the permit program would allow for eligible businesses in the downtown “T” business district to keep or add permanent parklets.

“I think that we have kind of a rare distinction from the Santa Barbara promenade where our streets are still open,” said Justin Fitzgerald, manager of Little Dom’s Seafood, which has a parklet on Linden Avenue. “We have this kind of distinct opportunity to be able to add these parklets without infringing on traffic and slowing the city down or having to make a lot of changes or get up to code or anything like that in permitting that a lot of the other places are doing with blocking the entire street.”

The permit initially would be for a three-year term and would require that the parklet is open to the public during nonbusiness hours.

Other conditions of the program would include businesses being required to maintain a certificate of insurance that meets certain specifications, no advertisements on or within the parklet besides the business name or logo — which could be a maximum of 20 square feet — and the parklets would need to be removable at least 24 hours before a city-sponsored event, such as the annual California Avocado Festival held in Carpinteria, with at least a two-week advance notice from the city.

A parklet for one business can occupy a maximum of two on-street parking spaces, while two adjacent businesses can combine and share a single parklet that occupies up to four parking spaces.

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“I can say that almost everybody that comes in — especially in the summertime when the weather is nice — they prefer to sit on that parklet patio, so for business it’s great,” Fitzgerald said. “As we grow out of COVID, I think that the more people we can get to this town and have the businesses thrive, it’s just going to make this town a little bit cooler, a little better, and have more people coming in here, so the more seating we can add to it, the better.”

In order to be eligible for a parklet permit, the business would need to be a restaurant or other food service establishment within the downtown “T” area, located on a street with a speed limit of 25 mph or less, and located on the first floor with a public sidewalk and adjacent on-street parking.

Businesses also would be required to notify adjacent businesses of their intent to remove street parking and install the parklet before submitting an application.

With the program, businesses could choose either a prefabricated design approved by the city from Archatrak or Modstreet, or create a custom design that would need to be approved by the city and follow certain design requirements that can be found in the item’s staff report, such as being ADA-compliant and in a style that fits the “Downtown Carpinteria small-town beach style.”

Amenities allowed in the parklets include seating, landscaping, bike parking, outdoor heaters and self-contained low-voltage lighting, such as solar-powered or battery-powered lighting.

The draft parklet permit program underwent a preliminary review by the Architectural Review Board on Thursday evening and is now set to go to the Carpinteria Planning Commission, followed by review and adoption by the Carpinteria City Council.

More information on the program and specific details on eligibility and design requirements can be found in the draft downtown “T” parklet permit program in the staff report for the Architectural Review Board.

— Noozhawk staff writer Serena Guentz can be reached at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) . Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.

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