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Commission approves outdoor‑seating parking standards; two commissioners dissent
Summary
The Planning Commission forwarded code amendments to chapters 19.02, 19.04 and 19.09 establishing outdoor‑seating definitions and thresholds tied to parking requirements; commissioners discussed seasonality and downtown goals and two members recorded no/negative votes.
The Saratoga Springs Planning Commission forwarded proposed amendments to Chapters 19.02, 19.04 and 19.09 that define outdoor seating for restaurants and tie additional outdoor seating to parking requirements. The commission approved the recommendation despite recorded dissent.
Staff explained the amendments seek to balance encouraging outdoor dining while ensuring adequate parking. The draft allows a modest amount of outdoor seating without extra parking but requires additional parking once seating exceeds a threshold. Staff said they drafted language to strike a “happy medium” to permit short‑stay outdoor seats (for example, small tables where patrons are in and out quickly) while requiring more parking for larger outdoor dining areas.
During discussion Commissioner Kern expressed concern that requiring additional parking could disincentivize outdoor seating, which some residents have urged as a way to create a more walkable, communal downtown feel. Commissioner Hill asked about seasonality, noting many outdoor spaces are used only in warm months; staff said the code currently does not include a seasonal exemption and applies to peak usage, though downtown‑specific standards may be written later in a community plan that could handle exceptions.
Commissioner Hill said the proposal generally made sense for restaurants expanding seating outdoors and urged that future downtown standards promote gatherings and not penalize outdoor activity. Staff confirmed the intent is to cover customer dining use and not limited employee break areas at non‑restaurant uses.
Commissioner Hill moved the recommendation; Commissioner Mann seconded. The motion passed with at least two dissenting votes recorded in the transcript (Commissioner Kern and one other commissioner who indicated a nay vote). Commissioners suggested revising verbiage in future drafts to clarify intent and address seasonality in downtown plans.
Action taken: the commission forwarded the code amendments to City Council with the findings and conditions in the staff report. Staff noted that downtown‑specific community planning is expected to include tailored standards for festivals, markets and gathering places.
