Outdoor dining to stay in San Bruno

City Manager Jovan Grogan said a two-year parklet permit will reduce the cost for businesses from $7,400 to $5,300 after deciding to waive a one-time parklet permit application fee. He said it is worth the lost revenue for the greater good of the public and he added the waived fee will be paid for out of the city’s general fund for recording purposes.

“The public good in this is having parklets downtown because the general public benefits from the atmosphere that it creates,” Grogan said.

The parklets would need to adhere to the city’s downtown design standards located curbside on San Mateo Avenue where there is on-street parallel parking. The design elements cover ADA standards, traffic safety protections, furnishing and fixtures, maintenance, emergency access and parklet removal processes, according to the report.

On Wednesday, Councilmember Marty Medina said, even without the fees, it could still be fairly expensive to install a parklet. They include added furniture, space heaters and concrete barriers to protect patrons from cars driving down the street. However, the idea is to create viable options to continue doing business and help create the ambiance in downtown that other cities in the county have from parklet programs.

However, none of the businesses on San Mateo Avenue participated in the emergency response parklet program during the pandemic. Only Camino Corner, JC Bruno and Celia’s Restaurant added outdoor seating during the pandemic but Medina said it was a little different because it was all constructed on their private parking lots.

“A number of the restaurant owners wanted to do delivery only and there wasn’t as much interest during the pandemic to have a parklet,” Medina said.

The city will require two one-time fees adding up to $965 and an annual use of space fee for $2,185. In total, a two-year parklet permit will cost a business owner $5,300. The city came up with the price of the annual use fee after it estimated the revenue the city would receive from metered parking, which it plans to install. The city decided to transition from a temporary outdoor parklet as part of an emergency response to COVID-19 to a long-term program, after feedback from a community workshop suggested the program would be an added benefit to downtown, according to the report.

Vice Mayor Tom Hamilton said the reduced overall fee is a great way to encourage businesses to participate in the program.

Additionally, the renovation of Centennial Park on San Mateo Avenue will be another added bonus for the downtown’s foot traffic creating ambiance for visitors, Medina said.

The adoption of the ordinance is scheduled for the next regular council meeting. The ordinance goes into effect 30 days after adoption.