City Could Provide More Funds for On-Street Dining

The Finance Committee will deliberate on a recommendation at Thursday’s meeting that would fund the city’s On-Street Dining Program and the parklet’s program.

According to a city staff report, $275,000 would be appropriated from several city funds, including $100,000 from the city’s Off Street Parking Fund, $100,000 from the Old Pasadena Parking Meter Fund and $75,000 from the general fund.

At least nine restaurants in Old Pasadena and five in the Playhouse District opened new dining areas on sidewalks, streets and alleys earlier this month.

New configurations were placed on Colorado Boulevard between Madison Avenue to El Molino Avenue; Colorado Boulevard between Fair Oaks Avenue to Raymond Avenue; and on Union Street west of Raymond Avenue.

Several restaurant owners told Pasadena Now that they had their most successful nights since pandemic shut-down orders were issued in April, though with limited capacities.

“We had really good feedback from all of the restaurants and customers that they really appreciate the opportunity to eat outside,” said Brian Wallace, executive director of the Playhouse Village Association.

Chamber of Commerce President Paul Little said that while outdoor dining is a big step towards financial stability it may not be enough to pull them through the current crisis.

“I think everybody’s in survival mode right now,” Little said. “So any opportunity to expand offerings and bring in more customers is welcome.”

Implementation of the on-street dining program is estimated to cost $200,000. For each street segment with a partial closure there are costs associated with restriping travel lanes, restriping for diagonal parking, rental and installation of barricades, and rental of ADA compliant ramps.

The amount requested is expected to provide enough to close nine street segments in the Playhouse Village and Old Pasadena districts.

This is being done to lessen COVID-19’s blow to the city’s economy.

“The measures taken to protect public health have resulted in businesses having to significantly scale back their services or cease operating completely,” the report says. “The recent rollback of reopening measures directly affects sit-down indoor dining at local restaurants and dining establishments. This prolonged economic impact has prompted the city to develop several local business support programs and accelerate action specifically for an on-street dining and parklet program.”

The parklet program is also proposed to assist businesses with opportunities to relocate or expand their business outdoors.
To implement a parklet, businesses are required to design and construct the parklet at their own cost.

City staffers plan to make a prototype design available, but businesses can choose to modify the design or develop their own design to suit specific needs.

These funds will be available to help offset costs for businesses associated with the design and installation of a parklet. The Department of Transportation will work with the City Manager’s office in developing criteria for use of these funds.