REQUEST FOR CITY COUNCIL ACTION
SUBMITTED TO: Honorable Mayor and City Council Members
SUBMITTED BY: Oliver Chi, City Manager
PREPARED BY: Ursula Luna-Reynosa, Director of Community Development
Subject:
title
Approve a program to allow Temporary Emergency Outdoor Commercial Activity on Private and Public Property during the COVID-19 pandemic
body
Statement of Issue:
On May 18, 2020, Council Members Brenden and Posey introduced an H-Item to direct staff to develop a program that would temporarily allow conversion of adjacent public and private spaces into outdoor dining areas for restaurants. After discussion, the City Council directed staff to develop a program for Council consideration that would allow the temporary conversion of adjacent public and private spaces into outdoor dining and retail use to provide local businesses with the opportunity for greater customer capacity (up to but not exceeding the capacity limits that were in effect prior to the COVID-19 restrictions).
Staff has prepared a regulatory framework to allow businesses to quickly expand into private and public spaces in order to allow patrons to frequent local businesses in a safe manner during the Local Declaration of Emergency as follows:
1. Authorize the City Manager, and his designee, to expand the Temporary Emergency Use Permit to allow outdoor business expansion; and
2. Authorize the City Manager, and his designee, to expand the use of temporary signs and banners and approve minor deviations from design standards associated with Temporary Emergency Use Permits as described in item 1, above; and
3. Forego all fees associated with processing Temporary Emergency Use Permits and Temporary Signs and Banners as described in items 1 and 2, above.
Additionally, based on City discussions regarding this particular matter, the Downtown BID did initiate a survey to their members to better understand the needs of downtown businesses given California's and Orange County's phased reopeni...
Click here for full text