Planning Commission holds workshop on outdoor dining rules; safety, parking and permanency top concerns

The Marysville Planning Commission conducted a workshop on proposed revisions to the city’s outdoor dining ordinance, discussing whether to keep COVID-era relaxations, allow use of parking spaces for parklets, and how to address safety, enclosure and permit length.

Planning staff reviewed the existing code and said the city’s temporary COVID ordinance, which relaxed rules to speed implementation, has expired and many current outdoor dining setups are technically out of compliance. Staff outlined current requirements that generally limit outdoor dining to the adjacent sidewalk frontage, preserve a clear pedestrian path, require movable furniture, comply with Americans with Disabilities Act standards, and meet environmental health and liability-insurance requirements. "If somebody just wanted to put out...something that looks like that, there's no building permit…