Outdoor dining could soon be returning to Chula Vista, but it won’t be in the form of parklets.
The outdoor dining ordinance is now heading to a vote, but if approved, it would streamline the process for businesses to set up outdoor dining outside their cafes, restaurants, and businesses all across Chula Vista.
When you drive along Third Avenue in Chula Vista, you’ll notice there are some restaurants with outdoor dining, an experience that many locals say they really enjoy.
“I love feeling the sun while eating,” Heaven Mirelez said.
“I love the coffee and the drinks, the pizza, and I love it to be outdoor. You know, I’m an outdoor person. I like to see the nice weather,” Darlin Rodriguez said.
Two years ago, the city ordered business to remove pandemic-era parklets claiming the outdoor dining spaces were intended to be used as a temporary measure.
Local officials also noted the need to return parking spaces to the public right-of-way.
Now Chula Vista Mayor John McCann is proposing an updated framework to the outdoor dining ordinance. The ordinance wouldn’t bring back parklets, but it would make it easier for businesses across the city to have outdoor seating.
Mayor McCann said the purpose of the ordinance would be to stir economic vitality to the city.
“We want to give restaurants and cafés an opportunity to expand their seating to the roads and next to the roads by making sure we’re doing it properly and legally but making sure we’re keeping it very cost effective for our restaurants,” Mayor McCann said.
If the updates to the outdoor ordinance are approved by city council, Mayor McCann said business owners would submit an application to the City of Chula Vista.
“I’m excited for everybody that is in the business industry that doesn’t have outside dining and they’re going to be allowed to have it. They’re going to see that it’s a really positive thing to have,” Mariana Cardenas, owner of Balboa South said.
Mariana Cardenas, owner of Balboa South on third Avenue, already has outdoor dining, but she understands how important it is not just to her business, but the customer experience.
“People love to be outside, especially families that have children with disabilities, the kids cannot be inside with all the noise, so the outside dining is a really nice and relaxing place where they can be,” Cardenas said.
She is thrilled to know other businesses may soon get an opportunity to expand their outdoor seating as well.
The new ordinance is headed to a vote before the City Council. A voting date has not yet been announced.