Council favors keeping parklets on University Ave.

BY BRADEN CARTWRIGHT

Daily Post Staff Writer

Palo Alto City Council is standing behind outdoor dining on University Avenue, despite a proposal from City Manager Ed Shikada to reduce the spaces for restaurants, called “parklets,” that were allowed at the beginning of the pandemic.

“Economic vitality right now in the downtown is being driven, unquestionably, by the parklets,” Councilman Ed Lauing said on Monday.

Councilman Pat Burt called outdoor dining “the most positive thing that’s going on in our downtown right now.”

Vice Mayor Greer Stone said he would be “pissed off too” if he had a parklet, because the city keeps talking about changing the rules.

Businesses need consistency, Mayor Lydia Kou said.

“We’re scaring them,” she said.

The city allowed outdoor dining setups on parking spaces in March 2020, when people weren’t allowed to eat indoors. 

The parklets were a hit, and 80 days ago council approved rules for restaurants to make their setups permanent and pay rent, starting in March.

At the same time, Shikada and a consultant were working on a proposal to redesign University Avenue by 2030, at a cost of $40 million. 

They proposed getting rid of the parklets, widening the sidewalks and creating a six-foot wide “commerce zone” between the walkway and the front of the buildings.

The “commerce zone” could be used for outdoor dining or for retailers to put out their goods, according to the proposal. But many restaurants wouldn’t have as much space.

“It was a very stressful read to me,” Lauing said.

Council members voted to have Shikada and the consultant, Stuber-Stroeh Engineering Group of Pleasanton, come back with options that would keep the current parklet plan. They also want to see interim measures that can be done cheap and quickly to improve downtown.