South City OKs outdoor dining

The decision Wednesday, July 8, is similar to many other initiatives throughout the Peninsula where officials have banned cars through central commercial corridors to grant additional space for diners to gather.

Officials expressed hopefulness the pilot program proposed to run for at least 45 days would go far to assist restaurants and associated businesses in the service industry hit hard since the COVID-19 outbreak.

“I hope this pilot program helps our small businesses in this difficult time,” said Councilman Mark Nagales.

Vice Mayor Mark Addiego shared a similar perspective.

“I can’t imagine not supporting this effort because the restaurants are in a great deal of pain,” he said.

Addiego did identify some reservations with the proposal though, noting the loss of parking that downtown businesses would need to accept in return for the outdoor dining arrangements.

Councilwoman Karyl Matsumoto too shared fears that the lost parking spaces may cause hardship for downtown businesses, specifically those which do not serve food. Furthermore, she wanted to assure there are parking spaces available to those operating delivery services such as DoorDash or Uber Eats.

“We don’t want to discourage people from coming downtown because they can’t park,” she said.

Under the most recent decision, officials will allow interested restaurants, cafes and eateries to opt into the program which would eliminate a couple parking spaces in front of each business to make space for tables.

The initiative could be especially vital for restaurants in the wake of Gov. Gavin Newsom announcing Monday, July 13, that indoor dining was banned to stem the spread of coronavirus.

To address the concerns regarding delivery services, officials agreed that select spaces would be reserved for those stopping quickly to pick up orders with hopes of limiting downtown traffic congestion.

The program is less ambitious than those featured in San Mateo or Burlingame, where officials decided to block off long segments of central business districts to make way for eaters.

Officials noted the approved program was more suitable for South San Francisco, because Grand Avenue is not so densely populated with restaurants and there are many nearby businesses which would not benefit from the initiative.

The $35,000 allocated by officials to launch the program is estimated to be sufficient to acquire barriers and other materials to allow between 10 and 12 restaurants to open into the street.

Officials said they plan to continue monitoring the program and potentially accommodating other businesses which express interest in participating. Matsumoto also encouraged the presence of code enforcement officers downtown to assure businesses are adhering to the program standards.

For his part, Nagales said he favored launching the program with an expectation that it will continue evolving.

“I expect it will morph over time,” he said.

austin@smdailyjournal.com

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