Pacific Grove City Council votes unanimously to extend restaurant parklets by one year.

The very popular and successful restaurant parklets that put Pacific Grove on the map as a dining destination during the Covid-19 pandemic will continue for at least one more year, after the P.G. City Council voted unanimously on May 11 in favor of the extension.

City staff suggested the extension to give them an opportunity to work up a permanent outdoor dining program to go into effect in 2023 when the current temporary parklets expire. Restaurants currently pay no fees or rent for the parking spaces they occupy and that would continue for the time being.

Only real estate agent Debby Beck spoke against extending the parklets for a full year, arguing that they take away from parking. She suggested a six-month extension, to make room for parking at the holidays. Other speakers disagreed, saying the program begun in 2020 to keep restaurants afloat has proven to be a positive addition to the downtown scene as well as city coffers.

"What's good for the restaurants is good for the city, the sales that they contribute," said Moe Ammar, former president of the P.G. Chamber of Commerce. He also said the parklets are good for jobs.

Current chamber president Jenny McMurdo called the parklets a chance for the city to stand out among other Peninsula communities. (Carmel recently let its parklet program end, with no current plan for creating a permanent outdoor dining program.)

Councilmembers all said they support a permanent plan but raised issues such as water, traffic safety, fees and other issues. They also wanted the P.G. Planning Commission and other boards and commissions to weigh in on a permanent program.

The vote was 7-0 to have staff come back no later than Dec. 21 with a progress report.