Coastal restaurants in America’s Finest City will need to find alternative parking spaces for spots that have been displaced by streetside dining areas or get rid of the parklets that became popular during the pandemic.
San Diego City Councilmembers voted on Monday to consent to regulations set by the California Coastal Commission that order eateries in “beach impact zones” to replace public parking spaces that have been taken up by outdoor dining. “Beach impact zones” are identified as parts of the coastline that begin at Sunset Cliffs Natural Park and run north through Torrey Pines State Reserve, also accounting for roughly a quarter of a mile inland.
San Diego News
The outdoor dining spaces, or so-called “streetaries” began during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic to help restaurants when indoor dining was prohibited. However, they grew in popularity and the city agreed to let them stay well into 2023.
Get top local stories in San Diego delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC San Diego's News Headlines newsletter.
Now, restaurants with parklets must have and pay for a “spaces as places” permit to keep them operating and adhere to certain regulations. Among those regulations for coastal eateries is restoring parking spaces taken by the outdoor dining patios so that San Diego beaches and bays stay accessible to the public.
The city expects the new regulations to go into effect by July.
