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Central Coast parklets: Paso Robles ends program, while Pismo Beach extends it

Pismo Beach City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to extend the Temporary Parklet program to September 30th, 2022
Angel Russell
Pismo Beach City Council voted 4-1 Tuesday to extend the Temporary Parklet program to September 30, 2022

Outdoor dining became a popular option at the start of the pandemic, with cities around the nation allowing restaurants to extend their dining areas onto sidewalks and in city parking spots in order to keep themselves financially afloat.

But now, two years into the pandemic, cities are debating what to do with the parklets. Paso Robles decided to end the program.

“The parklets have all been removed from the downtown, freeing up some much needed parking," said Paso Robles City Manager Ty Lewis.

Lewis said with the removal of all 20 parklets, 60 parking spots are back open. But he said with community interest in outdoor dining, the city is exploring longer term options with community development expected to bring forward ideas to council sometime in spring.

But, while Paso Robles ended the program, the City of Pismo Beach voted to extend its own temporary program.

“I think it's a great resource for our whole community," said Sarah Paddock with Chip Wrecked in Pismo Beach.

Paddock said although she took her parklet down this week due to tourism slowing in the winter months, she thinks keeping the parklets is a game charger for both business owners and customers.

“I still think it’s a great idea for downtown," Paddock said. "My retail neighbors have done nothing but praise it, they enjoy the extra traffic, they enjoy that our customers go out there and shop their shops.”

Pismo Beach City Council stopped short during Tuesday's meeting in voting to establish a permanent outdoor parking program, but Mayor Ed Waage said parklets aren’t an easy issue.

“There are some tough things we have to deal with and this is one of them that is always going to be tough to try to balance all the competing interests," said Waage. "But, I think we had a good discussion and I'm pleased with the resolution at this time.”

While Pismo Beach extended the program till September 30, the City of San Luis Obispo is considering making the parklets permanent. The council is expected to review a formal draft of that plan sometime in the next couple of months.

Angel Russell is a former KCBX News reporter who started her career in journalism as a reporter and producer for KREX on Colorado's Western Slope; she later moved to the Central Coast to work for KSBY as weekend anchor and weekday reporter. She holds a BA in journalism from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa. In her spare time, she enjoys reading, and playing guitar and piano.
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