The many outdoor dining structures built by restaurants around San Diego will be able to stay put for another year, as the city extended the expiration of the ordinance allowing for their placement through next July 2022.
San Diego city leaders voted unanimously earlier today to extend an ordinance that allows restaurants and other businesses to offer services outdoors through July 13, 2022. The ordinance was previously set to expire this summer.
The City of San Diego Planning Department is also in the process of developing the "Spaces as Places" program, which would allow outdoor dining "parklets" to continue permanently beyond the pandemic and result in changes to the city's municipal code. As a result of continuously changing rules regarding dining inside restaurants, last summer amidst the growing COVID-19 outbreak the city passed an ordinance allowing eateries and other business sectors to extend into adjacent outdoor sidewalks, parking spaces and lots and build temporary areas to host customers. According to the city, 427 temporary permits have been issued since the parklet program began.
"Building on the success of temporary outdoor dining as a tool to help businesses through the pandemic, Spaces as Places will provide a path for the long-term recovery of local businesses and neighborhoods across San Diego," read the City Council agenda on the proposal. "The program will offer a menu of options approach to help foster social interaction and community building by allowing eating, drinking, recreation, public art, sidewalk vending, education, entertainment, and other community gathering spaces within areas of the public right-of-way."
