The parklet party is over for Chula Vista.
The city has ordered the parklets, a holdover from the pandemic, dismantled and taken away by 5 p.m. Tuesday.
Not everyone agrees with the mayor's office's edict.
By 3:30 a.m. on Wednesday, all parklets on 3rd Avenue, Chula Vista's epicenter, were taken down by City of Chula Vista crews. There will be no charges or penalties to the businesses for the parklet removals.
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Some of the parklets could be seen around 3 Punk Ales Brewing Co.
“This is the last day to take advantage of it, so that’s why we are here to enjoy it,“ bar patron Nicole Biddlecom said on Monday.
Biddlecom is a lifelong resident of Chula Vista and a frequent visitor to Vogue Tavern. The business has a sizable parklet. It covers three parking spaces.
“I loved it. I thought it was cool,” Biddlecom said.
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Across the street at Tender Hooligan, a bar, restaurant and vinyl album music store, opened just three weeks. The proprietor’s opinion is both happy and sad.
“I do like them. I also like the parking, so I am kind of in the middle,“ co-owner Henio Hernandez said.
Hernandez says that while they don’t have a parklet — just sidewalk seating —Tender Hooligan has benefited from the foot traffic they draw.
“If they aren’t having all those people, I guess you would say those extra seats, then we’d probably see a decline as well,” Hernandez said.
The city of Chula Vista notified the business owners their permits will expire at the end of the summer.
This is part of a statement the city released back in May: “Today, the parklets are negatively impacting more businesses than they are helping because not all can benefit from the temporary permits. With the parklets on public land, the city must prioritize equitable access.”
Unlike some other communities that permit parklets, Chula Vista has several public parking lots behind its Third Avenue businesses. It’s paid parking and competitive like the meters in front.
Lizzet Fonseca lives nearby on Church Avenue. At night, her neighborhood becomes default overflow parking.
“If you have any drunk drivers at the end of the night, it's kind of hard for us,” Fonseca said.
Fonseca says removing the parklets will return 20 to 30 parking spaces, which would likely solve her problem.
Now, some businesses are wondering where they’ll find more prime seating.
“Those did allow almost double the space, so it brought a lot more revenue to the Chula Vista community," Hernandez said.
The city ordered the parklets dismantled and taken away by 5 p.m. Tuesday evening.
