NEWPORT BEACH : Plan to Expand Patio Dining Moves Ahead
A plan to let restaurants add as much as 25% of their floor area for outdoor dining goes to the Planning Commission for discussion Thursday.
The request from City Councilwoman Norma Glover won approval Feb. 27 from the council, which concurred that outdoor dining is a seasonal use that would increase the city’s charm and draw business without creating permanent parking demands.
As proposed, the policy would allow restaurants to add 25% of the “net public area”--primarily indoor dining areas--or 500 square feet, whichever is smaller.
The commission must decide whether to apply the extension provision to specialty food shops or limit it to full-service restaurants.
The city has 68 shops with less than 2,000 square feet and 20 or fewer seats. Operating under special permits, such specialty food shops skip Modifications Committee review, based on the premise that they operate more like retail businesses than restaurants.
City planners will also set regulations for any perimeter walls and roofs for the patios.
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