Parklets expected to dominate Marin, Sonoma, Napa downtowns after pandemic
From wining to dining, Wine Country cities plan to adapt to the French streets-of-Paris lifestyle more than ever before in the coming months with parklets dotting the landscape — but not without a few roadblocks in Sonoma.
City staffs from Marin County’s Sausalito through Sonoma and on to Napa are drawing up plans to make permanent these alfresco dining structures that popped up during the pandemic
This means pages of new design standards need to be drafted and adopted, applications approved and fees paid. Gone are the fee waivers the eateries received to make ends meet during the crisis that lasted for a few years.
In the city of Sonoma where there are at least a dozen parklets, a few of the outdoor dining structures became a point of contention. A few months ago, its two largest outdoor eating areas at Girl & the Fig and El Dorado Kitchen were pulled up after restaurant management complained about the ever-changing city rules and demands. The temporary program extends into next April, but the council may consider making them permanent, when it meets in December.
The Sonoma restaurants were sent letters dating May 13 by city staff demanding they comply to new rules by June 10. For starters, tents, gas or propane heaters, trash cans, bus clean-up stations and signs are now prohibited in the interim rules, while the city works on its permanent program. Noncompliance may lead to a $500-per-day fine.
“That was the trigger,” El Dorado Kitchen General Manager Joel Hoachuck said, referring to the tone of the letter by city staff. Instead, the restaurant running out of the El Dorado Hotel in downtown Sonoma now relies on its award-winning back patio.
Even though he said he lacks staffing to operate the front parklet, Hoachuck said the city standards were in constant flux. He applied to install a parklet cover that was going to cost at least $15,000 but was later told by the city that’s a no-go. He had to remove his propane heaters and replace them with electric versions, a new state requirement. Only restaurants that have the gas “plumbed” to the area may use the utility fuel.
“The code was always moving. We couldn’t keep spending money without knowing past November if we could keep it. In the business world, we cannot work with maybe, maybe not,” he said of the restaurant on the downtown city square.
So Hoachuck disassembled the parklet that cost his company $25,000 and moved it to its San Jose location. The removal freed up six parking spaces.
The Girl & the Fig restaurant no longer has a parklet too.
“It’s a disaster,” Girl & the Fig President John Toulze said, following robust laughter. He will rely on a back outdoor patio as well.
Toulze, who admitted to being angry about how the matter was handled, also took down his parklet at the end of May when it became apparent the city was playing hardball with its rules. He said he had a site visit by planning staff that warned him before the Memorial Day holiday weekend to get the parklet up to code in a matter of days. He viewed the site visit, email and letter as threats.
Toulze said he even got a visit from the city when he was taking down the parklet.
“They told me I couldn’t do that,” he said.
“They were really aggressive,” he said, adding he took issue with needing to remove his propane heaters.
“Parklets without propane heaters at night are a joke,” he said.
Despite commending Vice Mayor Jack Ding and Councilwoman Sandra Lowe for their support, he now has a “trust” issue with the city.
Acting City Manager Sue Casey called the situation an “unfortunate misunderstanding” and attributed the lack of adequate communication to the restaurants as “timing and staffing” problems. She also pointed to “a divided council” in favor of them as another obstacle.
“I totally get it. This is a real disappointment for me. Maybe I should have been out there myself, but that’s hindsight,” said Casey, who added she had prior obligations that kept her away at the time. The acting city manager, one in four over the last few years, came on the job in February.
“I just came from Paris. I love the parklets. The restaurants are an important part of our economy. Hopefully we can build that relationship back,” she said. “We’re working on more standards for the permanent program. When they first came about, we were just scrambling to keep the restaurants open.”
A new way of life in the North Bay?
The city of Petaluma, also in Sonoma County, decided to make parklets a part of its permanent downtown landscape during its council meeting discussing goals last August. The city expects to have the rules finalized by early next year.
