San Francisco board of supervisors approve permanent public parklets legislation

San Francisco's board of supervisors on Tuesday unanimously passed legislation for permanent public parklets for outdoor dining beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. 

A committee of the board of supervisors had previously approved the legislation proposal, introduced by Mayor London Breed, to let restaurants use parking spaces as part of their business, since the parklets allowed small businesses to stay open during the pandemic. 

The legislation was co-sponsored by Supervisors Ahsha Safai, Rafael Mandelman, Catherine Stefani, and Matt Haney.

Chain stores or restaurants would have to pay a fee of up to $3,000 a year for a single parking space, but small businesses would be allowed to apply for a two-year fee waiver. 

Following the vote, the mayor's office issued a statement saying the permanent shared spaces legislation streamlines curbside, sidewalk, roadway, and other permitting processes for San Francisco businesses and organizations. 

"Shared Spaces brought back life and excitement to our neighborhoods during an incredibly challenging time," Mayor Breed said. The mayor said the program provides another lifeline for struggling businesses and is part of the path forward towards rebuilding San Francisco's economy. 

Mayor Breed's office said the program includes public engagement protocols, so neighboring businesses and residents have a say in how the streets and sidewalks are used in the long term.

During Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting, before approving the ordinance, supervisors engaged in a lengthy discussion regarding concerns about vandalism and other illegal activities occurring within Shared Spaces parklets afterhours and whether business are liable for such activity.

"Just like we close down City Hall and parks at night, I think it would behoove us to put some parameters around it to ensure the success of the program," Supervisor Myrna Melgar said.

"I definitely fear that requiring these (parklets) to stay open at night would render them unworkable for many neighborhoods," Haney said. "I think many businesses and operators will want to keep them open (24-hours) for a variety of reasons and they should be able to, but those who want to, for important reasons including the differences across neighborhoods, may need to keep them closed during those nighttime hours to even make this feasible."

Supervisor Ahsha Safai ultimately proposed an amendment to the ordinance, allowing businesses the option to close parklets and shared spaces between midnight and 7 a.m. Supervisors approved the amendment 6-5, with Supervisors Aaron Peskin, Dean Preston, Hillary Ronen, Shamann Walton and Connie Chan voting against it.

You can find more details on the program, here