Parklets are here to stay, if restaurants can afford them. Safety first.

By now our parklet lifelines to local restaurants have the feel of permanence on the streets of B'game.  Back in August 2020, I noted that parklets are far superior to closing the whole darn street and that has played out as expected.  Now comes the question of permanence and payment.  The Daily Journal is reporting that

While businesses thus far have not been charged for use of the public space, the City Council this week voiced favor for establishing cleaning and rental fees likely to cost upwards of $5,100 yearly.  The charges would likely begin at some point next year for a one-year pilot period, after which the city would reassess and make changes as needed. The bulk of the cost, a $300 per month cleaning fee, could be reduced if the city’s expenses for the service were less than expected.

The remaining rental cost was determined based on Mountain View’s permanent parklet program that charges 9% of going rental rates. Given Burlingame commercial rents and the typical 300-square-foot size of parklets, a $1,500 yearly charge was decided on. Additionally, a $769 new application fee and $205 permit renewal fee would be levied.

If that is the algorithm, and I'm not sure it should be, then B'way parklets should be a little cheaper than on the Avenew.  Burlingame is currently home to 43 parklets occupying 88 parking spaces, according to the city.  So we are talking about $220K per year added to the restaurant bills in town.  I'm not fluent in restaurants' P&L's but I will ask a few owners to find out.  They are probably in "what choice do I have?" mode which might explain this:

Councilmember Mike Brownrigg, part of the economic subcommittee tasked with determining appropriate fees and guidelines, noted input from businesses in the process had been limited, though “not for want of trying.”

And then there is the street parking issue for non-restaurants which may come to a head when "permanence" starts filtering out

Also, in some instances where parklets extend into the frontage of a neighboring storefront, the neighboring business could request the parklet be moved or shrunk. Councilmember Donna Colson suggested the neighboring business could be required to pay for part of the rebuilding, or a timeframe could be established in which parklets would not be required to be moved or rebuilt. 

“You have to have some fairness, you can’t build a $40,000 parklet and then your neighbor says ‘you know what, you have to take it down now,’” she said.

Left unsaid was the hubbub from San Francisco where a 60 page rulebook landed on restaurants' doorsteps causing havoc according to the Comicle.

The notices from multiple city agencies cited rules that she’d never seen: The walls needed to be lowered. The roof needed to be removed. It could occupy only one parking space. And if it wasn’t all fixed in 14 days, she’d be fined $100, then $200, then $500 on the third day onward.

Sidewalks less than 10' wide mean Fire Department access to the building would be impeded by having a roof on the parklet and they need to have 3' of buffer (meaning an opening) on each side also for emergency access.  I'm reminded of the Chicken Chicken! fire in 2005.  And SF wants a 20' clearance from any intersection which seems too small to me.  I also worry about being able to see through the parklets to see on-coming traffic.  When I drive north on Laguna at B'way, the Rocca parklet has a takeout sign on the side of the parklet that blocks the visibility of eastbound traffic.  It's very tricky to get through that intersection in any direction.

Bottom Line:  There are some refinements to be made and money to be collected, but parklets are here to stay at least until some climate warrior outlaws propane heaters.  And there are some really nice ones in town.  Maybe Beautification should start a new category-- Best Parklet.

Comments

[Phinancier]

The Daily Post is reporting on Palo Alto mayor DuBois saying that parking spaces cost $115,000 apiece because that is what developers pay the city when they can't build the required number of spaces with their project. Palo Alto has 79 spaces so they are worth $9 million according to the mayor. One restaurant owner says the mayor parks for free at city hall but their council raised the price for downtown employees to $900.

If as you state, Burlingame has 88 parklet spaces taken that is a bit over $10 million of investment. What did it cost to build the new parking garage and how much did it cost? Those spaces are less valuable than the ones on Burlingame Ave.

[Rob Adams]

Do the developers pay for the MANY spots taken for construction? I feel the city wants it both ways re the parklets. We want the tax revenue from your restaurant AND we want the revenue from lost parking. Push too far and we will lose more restaurants and get more parking for the empty storefronts.

[Spurinna]

Two big new parking lots, the upper-Safeway-parking-lot scam (that I just read about) and the ability of most folks to walk a fair distance means no one really needs to park on Burlingame Avenue at all.

The parklets are charming and full of life. Remember the weird shutdowns and changing rules these hardy retailers had to suffer and give them a break.

If you have to use pc language: think of the inequity of making minority owned businesses bow to the whims of systemic racism in the capitalist method of taxation without representation and how the parklet designs by raising the gutter levels may prevent flooding from the rising sea level due to climate change.

[Thustra]

Hey guys. Get to the root of the problem. 383,064 Biden Covid Deaths and growing.

https://freebeacon.com/coronavirus/biden-covid-death-tracker/

This country has clearly lost control of the massive death count.

Solve this problem and your stupid "Parklets" issue goes bye bye.

[MBGA]

I was very much against the parklets when they first went up but ya know, people can get used to anything and now I hardly notice the uglyness and now accept their permanence. It's third-worldy, and kind of fun to see which restaurants are trending and to see all the great people our town encourages to come here and bring their cash. Parklets have lots of benefits and if we just would convert to those clean electric heaters instead of those terrible gas heaters we could feel warm and fuzzy about even that.

You gotta be impressed by the human ingenuity of taking it to the streets that our leaders came up with to help the community.

With that I'd like to propose a significant further step to Build Back Better while we wait to flatten the curve. As mentioned the parklets seemed like an unsightly and icky way to meet the demand for restaurant food. How bout we again use this innovative spirit of takin' it to the streets to meet an even bigger demand for housing? There are so many residential streets throughout Burlingame where we could set up some sort of semi-temporary housing using tents or similarly impermanent but highly regulated housing for the many people in need. Every neighborhood, every street really, with a curb or sidewalk has room for additional structures. Street parking would not be a problem for legacy residents or new ones because we are investing in mass transit and uber, and the homeless usually don't have cars anyway. The same sort of Liberal spirit that brought us parklets could bring us homelets and we will be Building Back Better.

-- Homeletes for the homeless --

[Paloma Ave]

MBGA - Sarcasm does not usually translate to the written word, but you...

[Phinancier]

One can only imagine the electricity bill from heating the outdoors with juice. A$$troNomical.

To answer Joe's question on $5,100 per year I guess the average dinner bill PP on the Avenue is $35 or so. That's about 150 dinners gross and triple that on net.

[Everything's Jake]

Maybe make Bgame Ave one way if the parakeets are here to stay? I can only imagine a fire truck and ambulance having to navigate the current two way Ave with parklets. An attorney's paradise in the making.

[Handle Bard]

Just don't pay some shyster a half million dollars to figure out how to close a street like Mountain View is doing to Castro Street. Unless I'm the shyster. I can close Bgame Ave for $100K tops.

[CoffeeLover]

I am sure there is earnest concern for our Downtown Shops. I ask, where is the outrage when the City, Chamber, and Downtown Burlingame Assoc. issued a permit to a coffee and pastries vendor to setup a mobile store right at the entry to the Farmers Market at Howard @ Park?

Peetes, Starbucks, Copenhagen, Cakery, CafeAmerican and Phils who pay rents from $10-$30k/month risked the health of their employees to serve us coffee and pastries during the peak of the pandemic. So, should a vendor who purchases a $110 permit fee be able siphon off their business so easily?

It looks like the Marxist ethics of self sacrifice and politics of collectivism that destroyed SF is spreading to Burlingame.

[[email protected]]

Dear Phinancier,
$35.00 ?
You must be eating at a Different Burlingame Ave than the rest of us.
A one lane, one way Avenue is a good idea.
If someone does not think so, please share.

[10 Cents]

Burlingame seems to be 70-80% fast food joints. Only decent one seems to be Il Fornaio and maybe the old Safora Italiano. It smells bad though and needs remodeling something terrible.

[Joe]

You guys are making some great points. Thank you. The coffee truck is definitely cannibalizing shops that have hung in there. I think Phinancier's numbers are pretty close on average--there is some quick food as 10 Cents says that brings the average down, especially if you stick to one or two drinks per and have kids or are doing take-out. Sapore is very good and Il Fornaio is reliable as well. Park & Howard doing quite well and Rasa still has the Michelin star I believe. We've never been the dining mecca of Palo Alto and we can always use a couple more good options. Try Barracuda and Sakai, 10 Cents.

I think a one-lane, one-way Avenue is TERRIBLE idea--not as bad as closing it altogether (remember the BAAZ disaster https://www.burlingamevoice.com/2020/08/the-baaz-is-dead-long-live-parklets.html#comments). What problem does it solve??????

[resident]

holyroller is definitely having more than one or two drinks out.

[Joe]

The first data point is in: "How much do they want? $5,100 per year. Take it away." This problem might resolve itself......

[Jennifer Pfaff]

On the One Way, I'm with Joe.

I used to think it was a great idea, too, but in practice, just try crossing the street where One Ways are the norm. You get lots of speeders and they don't look out for pedestrians at all.

The turns are the Pits. I think Sebastopol's main drag is One Way, and a few other cities in Marin. Santa Barbara is another; for me, that is the city's one (and only?) "Ding". Otherwise really beautiful there. Pedestrians really have a tough go.

And of course, I didn't even bring up S.F.

[Jennifer Pfaff]

San Luis Obispo, yet another:(

[Murph]

The legal liability having those temporary structures smack in the middle of the street with traveling cars and trucks is scary. The City is on the hook for any accidents or other events.

I see no scientific or medical reason not to allow customers in the restaurants.

Protect the weak and Fight Back Against these Fascist COVID Lockdowns. Protest is Coming

[MBGA]

Legal Liability? How about a EULA on the front page of the menu to in(Dem)nify the restaurant and maybe even the city from any harm or injury from unsafe conditions caused by positioning dining tables so close to moving vehicles. "By entering this establishment's parklet the customer releases their ...."

It would have to be carefully written so that it covers people who haven't received their restaurant food and have only been seated with water. I'm sure we have the talent here on the peninsula to construct this sort of document.

[Joe]

I believe every parklet has the big, ugly orange hydro-barriers around it filled with water. That's some pretty strong protection unless we see a Waukesha-style event. You may not see the barriers since the nice parklet designs cover them up...