THOUSAND OAKS : Planners Define Outdoor Dining
What, exactly, is outdoor dining?
The Thousand Oaks Planning Commission answered that question Monday night, when it approved changing the outdoor customer dining ordinance to include a specific definition of what constitutes indoor and outdoor dining areas.
The proposed change now goes to the City Council for a final vote.
City planners began studying the issue this year, after the owner of a shopping center submitted a plan to move a storefront 12 feet inward while leaving the other walls and roof intact, thereby creating what the owner considered an outdoor dining space.
The proposed changes would establish a formula to determine whether a semi-enclosed dining area is indoors or outdoors.
The formula focuses on the walls and roof surrounding the dining area. If two or more of those elements are missing--for example, if the area has just two walls or has three solid walls but no roof--the area would be considered outdoors. Fences don’t count.
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