Lower Pier Avenue StreetscapeProposed Outdoor Dining Standards

Recommendation:

It is recommended that the City Council:

1. Consider the tentative outdoor dining plan for Lower Pier Avenue and provide direction on the types of improvements that would be allowed within the proposed lease areas in the event that City Council subsequently approves an outdoor dining plan.

Background:

The construction of the Lower Pier Avenue is underway and on schedule. One of the most desirable features of the new streetscape design are the widened sidewalk areas which will allow for outdoor dining along the street. With the anticipated completion of the Pier Avenue Plaza some businesses have begun expressing an interest in leasing the soon to be available outdoor dining areas.

Analysis:

Staff has initiated a program aimed at assisting the business owners in securing the permits necessary for outdoor dining on the City right-of-way. A meeting was held on January 22, 1997 with business owners to discuss possible options and to gather ideas and information towards this goal.

At this meeting, a plan of the proposed lease areas on Lower Pier Avenue was presented to the restaurant operators. The plan (attached) shows a consistent 13' wide lease zone extending the length of Lower Pier Avenue from the Strand to Hermosa Avenue. The individual businesses lease area would then be predicated upon the width of its store frontage.

Businesses were also made aware that the City is in the process of preparing a standard for the outdoor furnishings and barriers that would be allowed in the lease areas. The intent of the standards will be to keep the look consistent with the new architecture of Lower Pier Avenue. These standards will be similar in form to ones sucessfully implemented in Culver City and Santa Monica.

Some of the businesses suggested that utility outlets would be desirable within the lease areas. They point out that gas, water, telephone and electric utility services would allow them to better serve their outdoor customers and provide a more comfortable setting in which to dine.

The installation of these utilities for each restaurant will push the scheduled completion of the project forward approximately two weeks providing that plans for such are submitted promptly. The cost to install these improvements within an average 30' x 13' lease area are estimated at $4,300 per restaurant. These costs do not include the cost to extend the utility lines within the restaurant from the kitchens or utility boxes to the front of the building. The businesses would like the City to consider picking up the cost of the improvements within the lease areas. If City Council agrees that these improvements are necessary and should be installed at the City's cost the installation of the underground utility work could be added to the existing construction contract as a change order. The Lower Pier Avenue Streetscape Project funding would have to be increased by an estimated $80,000 to cover this change.