Committee to Hear Economic Panel, and to Zero In On Post-Pandemic Outdoor Dining

On the same day that California fully reopens the economy, lifting capacity and distancing restrictions for most businesses and activities, Pasadena’s Economic Development and Technology Committee will hold its second panel discussion on the pandemic’s impacts to the local economy and what’s in store for the city’s restaurants, their employees, and customers. 

A memorandum prepared by Eric Duyshart, the city’s economic development manager, said the panel discussion will provide updates on the office sector as COVID-19 restrictions are being lifted and employees are permitted to return. 

“Despite many workers becoming accustomed to telecommuting every day, there are still compelling reasons for retaining commercial office space, including the need for on-the-job training, company socialization, benefits of socially-induced creativity, and the need for specialized equipment that is not available in a home-office setting,” the memorandum said. “It is important to track this related trend considering the number of office jobs in Pasadena, and how retailers and restaurants rely on office employees as customers.”

For Tuesday’s discussion, the panelists will include three office property professionals who managed multi-tenant facilities in different areas of Pasadena and other cities. Bernard Chua, general manager of Swift Properties and president of the Playhouse Village Association; Kevin Duffy, senior vice president of CBRE and president of the South Lake Business Association; and Debbie Slavin, global facilities director of Bluebeam Software, will discuss issues and trends that have arisen during the past year and what the future office outlook may be. 

The economic development division will present a proposal for annual city fees for outdoor dining, which will also cover plans for the continuation of outdoor dining activities, permit fees for outdoor dining, renewal of outdoor dining permits, and the schedule for returning to the regular application of fees in the fiscal year 2022 General Fee Schedule. 

Compared with other neighboring cities, the situation in Pasadena for these permits is unique in that it involves removal and replacement annually because of the Rose Parade; many of these restaurants that offer outdoor dining are along the Parade route on Colorado Boulevard and other nearby avenues. 

The presentation, according to a preliminary report, will also cover how the city intends to communicate changes in these permit fees to the community. The report showed the economic development division plans to hold webinars with restaurant operators especially along Colorado Boulevard regarding on-street dining amenities, meetings with the mayor and the city manager, and send letters out to business operators. 

Discussions will include street sweeping and general cleaning operations for outdoor dining areas, utility access for maintenance and emergency repair, streetlight maintenance, street tree trimming operations and policies covering banner installations on street lights. 

Tuesday’s meeting begins at 4 p.m. and can be accessed by the public through http://pasadena.granicus.com/MediaPlayer.php?publish_id=9 and www.pasadenamedia.org.  

Public comments may be sent through www.cityofpasadena.net/commissions/public-comment.