City Council – November 1, 2022
Application for Standard Outdoor Dining within Public Parking 1 Background
Lagos Mexican Cuisine submitted an application for standard outdoor dining within a paid public parking lot. Per the Standard Outdoor Dining Guidelines, Council approval is required prior to departmental review.
Applicant restaurant is currently under construction and has approximately 250 seats, including 50 outdoor patio seats.
Application proposes utilizing15 parking spaces for additional outdoor dining area.
Parking lot is in the Restaurant Overlay District (ROD), which provides shared parking for over 90 property owners and 550 tenants 2 Proposal
2,025 square feet
15 parking stalls
128 additional seats
$4,362.75/mo lease
3 Proposal
4 Restaurant Overlay District (ROD)
The ROD is intended to allow restaurants to expand and/or locate in and around the Central Business District without the need to provide on-site parking as part of the City's broader effort to revitalize the downtown. Available public parking is to be utilized by the collective regardless of location within the ROD.
Removal of parking in the ROD will impact the collective. 5 Long Range Property Management Plan
Agency Planning Objective:
‘Maintain public parking and continue to work toward increasing parking to address current and future parking needs in the Downtown and Fullerton Transportation Center areas. In addition, continue to be in compliance with the ROD.’ NOTE: SOCO Parking Structure was constructed for the purpose of providing parking for transit riders. Funding restrictions prevent utilizing parking for ROD overflow. Ability to amend count with parking study. 6 AB 2097
7 On September 22, the Governor signed AB 2097 into law.
The bill prohibits local agencies from imposing or enforcing parking minimums on residential and commercial developments within one-half mile of a major transit stop unless certain conditions are met.
Fullerton Transportation Center is considered a ‘transit stop’; therefore, the reach of this bill encompasses the entire downtown area.
Downtown parking needs are increasing and with increased limitation on development-provided parking, maintaining public parking is critical.
Recommendation
Deny application due to divergent objectives with the Restaurant Overlay District parking provisions and Long-Range Property Management Plan; preserve critical downtown public parking amidst AB 2097 limitations on imposing parking requirements on any residential, commercial, or other development project located within one-half mile of public transit.
OR
Require the applicant to fund a parking study to assess proposed parking reduction impacts within the downtown area, specifically within the Restaurant Overlay District. Then, return to City Council for consideration of outdoor dining application upon completion of parking study results. 8 Questions?
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