The City Council of West Hollywood is considering updates to the city’s outdoor dining policy, including changes to Chapter 11.28 of the West Hollywood Municipal Code. In response to the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020, many restaurants and food establishments were forced to close or limit their operations. The city temporarily responded to these impacts by adopting the West Hollywood Urgency Ordinance No. 20-1106U, which established a permit and approval process for “OUTZones,” allowing for commercial businesses to expand their operations outdoors in the public right-of-way and private off-street parking lots.
As COVID-19 cases began to decrease, the City Council directed staff to research and develop new eligibility criteria and processes to streamline the approval process for restaurants and expand the use of the public right-of-way. The proposed framework and Municipal Code amendments aim to promote a unified public realm vision for outdoor dining in the city. The proposed changes would expand existing standards outlined in Chapter 11.28 of the Municipal Code to allow for new outdoor dining between tree wells, for example.
The City Council is also recommending the allocation of $25,000 from unallocated reserves in the General Fund to finance the development of an Outdoor Dining Eligibility and Site Design Guide, as well as related costs. The City Council is inviting feedback on the proposed updates, including the eligibility criteria and design standards.
Historically, outdoor dining in West Hollywood has been allowed on sidewalks with an encroachment permit, with standards outlined in Chapter 11.28 of the Municipal Code. The chapter establishes a process for issuing outdoor dining encroachment permits, with design and operating standards intended to promote public health and safety, ensure adequate pedestrian circulation, and guide applicants with the design and management of their outdoor dining areas.
The proposed framework would expand these existing standards to allow for outdoor dining in limited circumstances between tree wells, for example, subject to design standards set by the city. The design standards aim to
The following are the proposed eligibility criteria that every business must confirm prior to submitting an application for outdoor dining:
a. Outdoor dining must be directly adjacent to (in front of) business frontage, unless in a narrow sidewalk condition, in which case a permanent curb extension may be constructed.
b. In narrow sidewalk conditions, the total footprint for outdoor dining at on-street parking spaces shall be no larger than two consecutive parking spaces.
c. In narrow sidewalk conditions where dining will take place in on-street parking spaces, at least one on-street parking space shall be maintained on both sides of a newly created curb extension dedicated to outdoor dining.
d. Outdoor dining may not occur along alleys or other rights-of-way adjacent to residential uses.
e. Outdoor dining shall not block driveway access.
f. Tables and seating may not occur in a bus-only lane or bus stop curb extension.
g. Tables and seating shall not be allowed in a red or blue curb zone, unless there is adequate access for life-safety and infrastructure.
h. Outdoor dining shall not obstruct access to any public utilities – (minimum three foot clearance distance from seating or tables)
i. Outdoor dining shall be minimum 5 feet away from a fire hydrant.
j. Outdoor dining must be 10 feet away from any overhead power poles.
k. Outdoor dining shall not be located in a scooter/bicycle drop off zone.
l. Business doors shall be configured or rehinged to swing inward or recessed appropriately to ensure that they not swing outward towards sidewalk.
m. Outdoor dining plans must be reviewed by the Fire Department to ensure availability of necessary access into buildings and compliant egress from ground floor businesses.
DESIGN GUIDELINES
West Hollywood has introduced new outdoor dining design standards to ensure the accessibility and safety of pedestrians and diners. The standards outlined in the West Hollywood Outdoor Dining Eligibility and Design Guide specify the minimum right-of-way clearance paths and sidewalk widths to maintain obstruction-free pedestrian paths. The guide also mandates the incorporation of at least one Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) access point for each parking space used for sidewalk extensions and the provision of accessible seating and wheelchair resting space.
To ensure safety, crash-rated barriers must be provided, with a minimum height of 36 inches and capable of resisting a force of 500 lbs. Umbrellas must be between 7 and 10 feet tall and cannot extend past the perimeter of the outdoor dining area or obstruct visibility of the business frontage. Permanent structures such as trellises, gazebos, or roofed structures are not allowed. However, flexible transparent temporary overhead sunshade structures or removable fabric or plastic panels may be used during the official Los Angeles County rainy season.
Furniture in the outdoor dining area must be secured nightly, and propane heaters must maintain a 6-foot clearance from any canopy, tent, or combustible material. The sidewalk dining extensions must be integrated into existing storm water drainage, and the furniture must comply with the California Building Code.
The guide provides a comprehensive set of design standards to ensure the safety and accessibility of West Hollywood’s outdoor dining spaces. The responsibility of ensuring compliance with the Building and Safety Division prior to filing an encroachment permit lies with the applicant.
If this is enacted throughout the city then our streets must be altered accept the out-zones and ensure safety. Good time to begin a real design of traffic patterns. Lord Auto m must be addressed. And – I hate the idea of eating out of doors next to streets where passing cars and trucks are kicking up the black dirt – from tire and asphalt breakdown – we find deposited everywhere. And, the noise. How pleasant can it really be? Pedestrian bumping into rushing waitress on narrow sidewalks us another hazard. Other places – cities here and in other lands… Read more »
Mr. Cronin, due respect, but nobody is asking you to use one of these. Regarding your pollution, and noise concerns.
Most every bar and restaurant on SM Blvd has had an outdoor/sidewalk presence for years. Leave the sidewalks for walking and strolling comfortably and safely without having to dodge these pandemic outzone structures.
Has anyone in Planning or on the City Council ever traveled out of West Hollywood to observe how this was done in Manhattan or other cities that have welcomed street dining? How about Europe? The short sighted methods advocated here make WH look like a run down souk. Unattractive & Unsafe.🙄
These politicians are so unsophisticated they probably have never been beyond Oshkosh Wisconsin.
Ric Abramson just mentioned the City used a consultant that assisted the City of Long Beach. What ? Long Beach? Please ask City Manager Wilson to spring for a week long excursion ticket for some knowledgable city design oriented staff member to travel to to key European cities to analyze what’s happening there. What, a well traveled, design oriented knowledgable staff member? Too bad, there are none.
However, a quick ride up to Coast Village Road in Montecito and downtown Santa Barbara will give them plenty of ideas to work with.
these outzones are incredibly dangerous for bicyclists — eliminating any kind of safe buffer from the cars. Also, they are unsightly, and Block any signage that some of these businesses have, making them difficult to find. If they are to remain they should, at least, be made to be visually appealing
“To ensure safety, crash-rated barriers must be provided, with a minimum height of 36 inches and capable of resisting a force of 500 lbs.”
I’m glad that is being addressed. I don’t know if it stops a car, however.
These were meant to be temporary and never permanent. Sidewalks are for pedestrians. All restaurants and bars are fully opened and functional no need for these any longer.
Well, I’m going to guess that they will become permanent.
Some OutZones work fine, others are a danger to cyclists or create an obstruction to pedestrians. Especially, the OutZones in front of Norah and Pura Vida on Santa Monica Boulevard (just feet from City Hall) are not safe. I hope the Council will be nuanced in their approach and decision-making.
How do they create an obstruction to pedestrians, when they are on the street, not the sidewalk? I don’t get that part.
Good question. They create more concentrated traffic around certain businesses with clientele and staff moving back and forth (including people waiting for table etc). Also, specifically the OutZone by Norah has created an extremely narrow walkway at the sidewalk due to the fact that the OutZone has become a full-blown extension of the restaurant with large plants etc that make it nearly impossible to have a seamless pedestrian flow that goes into two directions. Walk by there sometime and you’ll experience it.
Thank you for the explanation. But wouldn’t that be a special case, for that location? I walk past these places, all the time, on the sidewalk. And they don’t impede my ability to walk past them. I sympathize with the elderly and/or people w/disabilities.
Pedestrians have to navigate wait staff and bus-persons going in and out of the restaurant along a very narrow sidewalk.
Thank you for the explanation. I’d like to know how often that really becomes an issue. You can walk down the sidewalk, and you might have other pedestrians impeding your space, congregating to chat, or whatever, or someone walking a dog. I understand that this is more of an issue on a “very narrow sidewalk.” But how long are servers out on the sidewalk, for reals? I’d like to know.
This issue should be put to the residents for a vote. The council is known to ignore residents’ views and this is a matter that directly impacts mobility for everyone who must traverse city sidewalks.
Why in the blankity blank blank would any rational, free-thinking, intelligent adult think it’s a good idea to make these monstrosities a permanent fixture in West Hollywood? Seriously now.
By making them permanent the City can then re-design them so that they are more appealing and ideally safer and easier for pedestrians to navigate. Don’t ask who will be paying for these improvements but it is pretty clear that patrons of these bars and restaurants think the outside dining areas are a plus. Clearly they have added to the vibrancy of Boys Town (or whatever we are calling it
these days).
Agreed. And, hopefully, they will make them safer. As of now, nobody has died, or been injured, sitting in one of these, that I can remember. But they need safety improvements, for sure.
The restaurants on the sidewalk are a danger to pedestrians and only benefit restaurant owners. It’s very uncomfortable for me as a woman to walk through these zones.
A young man threatened me the other day in front of Norah on Santa Monica. He had the opportunity because the outdoor restaurant blocked the view.
I expect the clowns at City Hall to approve the measure.