The reassessment of a rescinded COVID-19 protocol in Solvang has city officials mulling over whether or not to bring it back as permanent policy.
Between 2020 and 2022, the city of Solvang allowed more than a dozen food and drink establishments to put outdoor seating on the sidewalk with temporary encroachment permits. In early 2022, the Solvang City Council voted to rescind the warrants and restrict the temporary grantees from seating guests on the public right of way.
During the City Council’s June 26 meeting, Planning Manager Sophia Checa said that, over the past year, city staff has “heard from a lot of restaurants wanting to expand again, primarily on the sidewalk if the space allows for it.”
Checa asked the City Council for direction on whether staff should look into easing restrictions on outdoor dining in the public right of way, and research similar protocols in other jurisdictions.
Local restaurateur Jonathan Rosenson spoke during public comment and said one of the reasons the city should reinstate its expired COVID-19 outdoor seating policy is that many people continue to feel uncomfortable eating indoors.
“It’s not necessarily about more tables for us,” Rosenson, the co-owner of First & Oak in Solvang, said. “We still find that guests want to eat outside. We often will attract an older clientele and they still don’t always feel comfortable eating inside.”
During the original run of the temporary encroachment permits, businesses with outdoor seating that spilled onto the sidewalk had to maintain “4 feet of accessible pathway” for sidewalk users, Checa said. Councilmember David Brown said that staff should reexamine that requirement before pitching a new policy.
“Walking Copenhagen [Drive] every day, I know that even 4 feet is not enough when you’re trying to get around a person with a stroller and two dogs,” Brown said.
Councilmember Elizabeth Orona said that “the economic benefits” of allowing more outdoor dining opportunities would be great for local businesses. But she added that there should be a distinction between regulations on restaurants and “wineries or alcohol-only establishments” using sidewalk space for outdoor seating.
“That’ll be part of what we investigate certainly,” City Manager Randy Murphy said in response.
Tracy Beard, executive director of the Solvang Chamber of Commerce, spoke during public comment and said that allowing more outdoor dining in the public right of way would be economically beneficial and help support the city’s Danish village theme.
“I think it’s a really important opportunity for businesses,” Beard said. “Everything is outdoors in Denmark, and we really still say ‘we’re Denmark.’”
After public comment, members of the Solvang City Council unanimously agreed to assign staff to research current outdoor dining policies in other areas that are comparable to the city’s former COVID-19 protocol and return at a later date with a recommendation on how to proceed.
This article appears in Jun 29 – Jul 9, 2023.