Support Outdoor Dining in Solana Beach!
On Wednesday November 9, Solana Beach City Council will discuss the future of outdoor dining in the city. (Read the full staff report here and or download the report below:)
C1 Report - outdoor dining
.pdf
Download PDF • 852KB
The options presented to City Council include:
Develop requirements and standards for permanent outdoor dining
Extend the current Temporary Use Permit (COVID-TUP) regulations
Allow the COVID-TUP regulations to expire on January 1, 2023 and require businesses to remove outdoor dining areas
As the staff report states, the city has conditionally approved 33 COVID-19 outdoor dining applications, 24 of which are for businesses with outdoor dining services. Currently outdoor dining is still available at 13 locations: Pizza Port, Saddle Bar, Pillbox Tavern, ALCE, Naked Café, Claire’s, Homestead, Fish Market, Carruth Cellars, Lofty Coffee, Crust, Parioli’s, & T’s Cafe.
I think outdoor dining has been a great success and it should become a permanent option for restaurants in Solana Beach. If you agree, please let City Council know how you feel!
To support making this outdoor dining permanent, you have the following options. And you don't have to pick just one - the more the better!
Stop by Pillbox and sign their petition (see https://www.instagram.com/p/CkjL2ajvdnP/)
Send an email to the city:
Subject: Item C1, city council meeting 11/9/22
Body: I support the development of requirements and standards to make the current outdoor dining situation permanent. (Feel free to provide some reasons why you feel this way - here are some possible options)
Outdoor dining creates a more vibrant feel for our restaurant and commercial districts.
Outdoor dining helps support local small business by allowing them to serve everyone in a safe environment, especially during elevated times of flu/COVID/colds.
We have already seen how the outdoor dining experiment in our city has been a success, so it's time to make this situation permanent.
Making the outdoor dining option permanent allows restaurants to invest more in making the outdoor dining experience even better. Without making it permanent, restaurants will hesitate to invest more in outdoor dining if the option could be taken away from them at a future unknown point.
We enjoy such wonderful weather year-round, so there is really no reason to discontinue the outdoor dining option.
Speak in person at the city council meeting. City council meetings are held in city hall on Wednesdays, starting at 6pm. When you arrive, fill out a speaker slip, indicate you want to speak about item C1, and then hand it to the city clerk. (You don't need to get there right at 6, as there are a number of items ahead of C1)
If elected, I will make it my mission to do a better job supporting local small businesses - making outdoor dining permanent is a good first step for supporting local restaurants.