Design panel advances parklet standards as downtown business owners warn of lost parking, safety risks

San Clemente’s Design Review Subcommittee on March 25 reviewed proposed standardized parklet designs for Avenida Del Mar and Avenida Victoria and heard more than a dozen public commenters urge tighter limits, stronger enforcement and a smaller, more transparent look for downtown parklets. Alexa Buzynski, assistant planner, told the subcommittee staff’s proposal would standardize sizes, planter and barrier materials, lighting and signage and asked the panel for design feedback.

The presentation and subsequent public comment centered on three practical questions: how large parklets should be, whether they should be sited directly in front of the business that operates them, and how the city will enforce the standards going forward. “We’re just looking for general feedback,” Buzynski said when she introduced the recommended standards, which lean toward wood or wood-like planters, limited umbrellas and consistent, traffic-rated planter barriers.

Why it matters: The downtown parklets represent a visible streetscape change that affects parking supply, pedestrian circulation and the visibility of adjacent retail storefronts. Business owners who do not have parklets argued the temporary COVID-era program has become a long-term change with uneven impacts across retailers and restaurants.

Business owners described visible harms during the public comment period. Chris Wood, owner of multiple Del Mar storefronts, said the existing parklets have reoriented the street toward food-and-beverage users and made many retail front doors less visible: “It’s taking away from retail and it’s killing retail,” he said, urging the subcommittee to require parklets be located directly in front of the operator’s frontage and not to block neighboring storefronts.

Other public comments raised safety and enforcement concerns. Amanda Quintanilla cited ADA and line-of-sight problems at one establishment; another resident noted sanitation problems under raised decks and warned of rats and cockroaches becoming concentrated under decks during the morning. Several speakers urged limiting umbrellas, prohibiting signs that obscure storefronts, using cable railing or other transparent barrier options, and requiring traffic-rated concrete planters where safety is a concern.

Staff noted program timing and logistics. Buzynski and other staff said the council had been asked to adopt clearer standards (a shift from guidelines to enforceable rules) and that the current temporary authorization for parklets is set to expire July 1. Staff explained a planned public-works slurry-seal project could trigger a coordinated tear-down and rebuild to new standards; they also said staff maintains a spreadsheet with current permit allocations and would provide that permitting record to the subcommittee for enforcement and consolidation review.

What the subcommittee directed: Commissioners signaled support for smaller, lower-profile parklets that prioritize transparency (cable railing), consistency of materials and limiting signage and umbrellas. They asked staff to produce a short-set of A/B/C parklet-size options (2-space, 3-space, 4-space) showing seating capacity and impacts, and to compile permit/enforcement data for the committee. The subcommittee set a special working session in early April to refine standards and directed staff to prepare materials for a city-council packet if the committee wants council action on an extension or updated program.

Quotes from the meeting illustrate the stakeholders’ positions. Buzynski said: “We’re looking for design feedback” on standardized sizes, materials and lighting. Chris Wood argued that parklets should be “in front of the place that is renting them,” warning the current configuration harms neighboring retail. A public-safety commenter said the decks are “infested with rats and cockroaches” underneath and urged designs that allow cleaning access.

Next steps: Staff will revise the packet to include consolidated design options, enforcement data and a summarized list of concerns raised at the meeting. The DRC scheduled a special working meeting in early April to finalize feedback and asked staff to prepare materials for possible council consideration by April 21 regarding an extension or replacement of the parklet program. The council will retain authority over whether to continue or extend the program beyond the current July 1 authorization.