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Laguna Beach council pauses new parklets, orders study of sidewalk‑based outdoor dining and fee updates
Summary
Laguna Beach will pause approval of new parklets while staff studies a downtown streetscape plan that would use sidewalk expansions and bulb‑outs to create consistent spaces for outdoor dining, landscaping and ADA access.
The Laguna Beach City Council ordered a temporary pause on new parklet applications and directed staff to conduct a feasibility study of sidewalk‑based and bulb‑out solutions for outdoor dining downtown. The action followed more than an hour of public comment from residents and business owners who described the current mix of temporary wooden parklets, private‑lot outdoor dining and ad‑hoc sidewalk encroachments as unevenly used and visually inconsistent.
What the council directed: Staff will: (1) impose a temporary moratorium on new parklet approvals while the study proceeds; (2) prepare a feasibility and design study (proposed consultant work by SWA) that identifies downtown bulb‑out locations, potential sidewalk expansions, tree wells, ADA improvements and locations where permanent, more consistent outdoor dining or streetscape interventions should be prioritized; (3) return with options for a revised fee structure, including updated public‑space market rates and possible in‑lieu fees or permit fees for private‑lot dining areas; and (4) explore near‑term enforcement or fee adjustments that could be applied to existing parklets or private parking‑lot dining to ensure equitable treatment.
Why it matters: The state Assembly Bill 413 (AB 413) requires curb‑space changes near intersections and has reduced some on‑street parking; AB 592 and statewide rollbacks of pandemic temporary use rules also will affect how outdoor dining is regulated locally. Councilmembers cited the opportunity created by state parking‑setback rules to re‑imagine the downtown right‑of‑way for a consistent, higher‑quality streetscape that meets ADA, tree and circulation goals.
Key council choices: Council members sought a proactive, multimodal approach rather than a piecemeal, restaurant‑by‑restaurant solution. Council approved a staff recommendation to continue existing TUPs through the current year while pausing new applications pending the study; the council also asked staff to return quickly with a plan for addressing private‑lot dining that uses leased private parking so that those uses pay a comparable fee to customers who occupy public curbspace.
Next steps and implementation: Staff will return with results of the feasibility study and proposed fee amendments; council asked staff to draft implementation pathways that could be phased into the capital improvement program. A moratorium will be in effect until the council considers the study and staff recommendations; businesses with pending applications or pre‑existing permits will be handled case‑by‑case as the council directed.
Votes and outcome: Council accepted the staff‑recommended study and moratorium and directed staff to return with fee options and design recommendations. A motion to proceed with the study and temporary pause passed by council vote.
