Save Outdoor Dining in North Park.

Did you know that the city has demanded that restaurants on University Avenue take down their parklets? The reason: to put a 10-foot wide median down the middle of the street that serves no purpose. Removing the parklets will not only hurt the small businesses that have invested time and money in their parklets but will eliminate precious outdoor dining space in our neighborhood. It’s bad for North Park and hurts small businesses that are trying desperately to navigate these difficult times.

Parklets have become part of the dynamic tapestry of North Park. They allow residents and visitors to enjoy the wonderful and diverse food options of our neighborhood in a comfortable and safe outdoor setting. With the future uncertain due to the changing nature of the pandemic, now is the wrong time to remove outdoor eating options.

The plans for a median down University Avenue began in 2000. The Environmental Impact Report, which considers issues like traffic flow, small business needs, and the impact on the community, was done in 2012. North Park has changed dramatically since 2012. Additionally, the plan does not take the pandemic into account. What may have been good for North Park then is not what is good for North Park now.

Small businesses, and restaurants in particular, have had a rough go of it since the outbreak of the pandemic. Outdoor dining is a precious resource and lifeline for small businesses. Customers seek out places to eat that have outdoor dining options. The city recognized this when they passed Spaces as Places in October this year. Without outdoor dining options, many of these North Park restaurants will lose business to neighborhood that have parklets like Little Italy and The Gaslamp.

Join us in saving outdoor dining in North Park. Together we can engage the city to come up with a new plan that reflects what North Park is today and the new world we live in while supporting small businesses. We need more outdoor dining options, not less. With the evolving nature of COVID, outdoor seating is more important than ever for both businesses and customers.

Your donation will help save us the parklets and stop the median. Any amount is appreciated. Please share our mission to save outdoor dining with your friends and family. You can also contact our District 3 Councilperson, Stephen Whitburn, here: StephenWhitburn@sandiego.gov  and our Mayor, Todd Gloria here: mayor@sandiego.gov.

Thank you,

Preserve Outdoor Dining in North Park