Woodland’s downtown ‘parklet’ program that allows restaurants to put tables in protected areas on streets could be continued depending on a decision by the City Council.

The parklets were created in mid-2020 in response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which allowed restaurants and cafés to expand outdoor seating into parking spaces as a means of protecting diners and expand seating “when indoor dining was severely restricted or prohibited — providing a lifeline for many struggling businesses.”

“By relocating tables curbside, the initiative met critical health and safety needs: fresh air, physical distancing, and enhanced sanitation helped mitigate virus transmission concerns,” according to a report to the council, which takes up the issue Tuesday evening at City Hall. “It also enabled restaurants to stay open and generate vital revenue throughout the crisis. During the urgency period, the City issued free temporary outdoor use permits to 19 restaurants, including five restaurants in the Downtown that utilized parking spaces in the public right-of-way along Main Street.”

Parklets aren’t a new idea. In Woodland the first on-street dining area was created on Second Street near Dead Cat Alley by the owners of the former Guinevere’s Café. The colorful remnants of that seating area are still visible even though the business is gone.

But today with the pandemic fading into history, the city is now wondering whether to continue the parklet program. Consideration comes after a Yolo County Grand Jury report, released in May, which questioned their effectiveness.

City staff responded to the report, agreeing and disagreeing with some of the five concerns while noting that other recommendations had been implemented.

In Summer 2021 the city conducted two surveys to analyze the effect of the parklets occupying public parking spaces. The first was a face-to-face survey conducted with existing permit holders to gather information about their perception of the direct impacts (costs and funding, frequency of use, payroll, and business revenue) that the parklets had on their business.

The second survey was a face-to-face and digitally disseminated survey, to which 38 downtown businesses responded about their perception of the indirect effects that the parklets had on their non-food related (non-permit holding) businesses.

Results of these surveys indicated that all seven participating establishments in the downtown — mostly restaurants — experienced revenue growth after setting up parklets, with one business reporting a 40 to 50% sales increase, according to a staff report.

“This uplift supported not only business continuity but also job creation as 86% of businesses added staff and nearly half hired at least two new employees,” according to the report prepared by Erika Bumgarder, deputy community development director. “Additionally, the majority of downtown businesses (around 78%) were in favor of keeping the parklets, highlighting increased foot traffic in downtown, the parklets’ role in helping permit-holding businesses stay afloat throughout the pandemic, and availability of outdoor seating.”

However, some businesses were in favor of scaling back the parklets, while only a few were in favor of having them removed entirely.

Concerns about parklets in downtown focused on reduced parking, traffic slowdowns (due to the red flashing lights), the cleanliness of the parklets, storefront visibility, and issues related to homelessness.

In May 2022, the City Council formalized a two-year pilot Citywide Parklet Program that established a permit and grant framework active through Nov. 1, 2024.

During the application period, five parklet grant applications were received, and all five requests were approved and funded. In downtown, one pre-existing restaurant parklet was voluntarily removed, and one new parklet was created.

City staff have since received a range of anecdotal feedback from downtown business owners, employees, and patrons — some expressing support for the parklets and others preferring their removal.

Based on staff observations and community feedback, the parklets along Main Street appear to be underutilized much of the year and are frequently affected by high traffic volumes. Concerns have also been raised by both business owners and patrons regarding decreased visibility of adjacent storefronts and perceptions about reduced parking, although studies find there is plenty of parking downtown.

Balancing these considerations, staff is recommending the council approve a two-year extension of the parklet program, subject to revised policies, including one key amendment to the guidelines that would limit parklet sizes to no more than one public parking space on Main Street (or approximately 22 feet).

Approval of this program modification would necessitate scaling back two parklets affiliated with Sabores del Pueblo (formerly Las Brasas), and El Charro Mexican Restaurant, to comply with the new size limitations.

Meanwhile, one parklet on First Street (Gallery Coffee Roasters) combines on-street bike parking with its parklet, utilizing a combined two parking spaces; however, a scale back is not recommended in this case because the parklet itself takes up approximately one parking space and the bike parking serves surrounding businesses.

“Additionally, updated guidelines include annual and mid-year compliance inspections by city staff,” according to the report. “Should the City Council, after the two-year extension, wish to continue the parklet program or similar, city staff will return to the City Council with an ordinance recommendation pertaining to parklets as well as general use of public right-of-way for private business purposes in the downtown such as sidewalk dining and retail merchandise displays.”

Alternatively, the council may opt to sunset the Parklet Program along Main Street, city staff noted. Should the council choose this option, staff recommend allowing the current Main Street parklets to remain in place through the end of August to provide businesses time to adjust.