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Manhattan Beach Outdoor Dining Program Development
Community Workshop | Summary
INTRODUCTION
In June 2023, the City of Manhattan Beach and MIG
began to develop a long-term outdoor dining
program, triggered by the temporary outdoor dining
operations that took place in response to COVID-19.
On October 2, 2023, the first outdoor dining
community workshop was held at the Joslyn
Community Center to better understand opportunities
and concerns from the Manhattan Beach community.
Approximately sixty-two (62) community members
attended the workshop to provide their input on a
variety of topics.
The format of the workshop included a brief presentation and an open house session with interactive displays. The presentation consisted of the project background, scope, status (including the recent parking data analysis), and schedule. Following the presentation, MIG led a facilitated discussion to gain an understanding of how community members define outdoor dining.
Attendees were able to enter their responses in an interactive website through their personal devices using a QR code or verbalize what outdoor dining meant to them, which was recorded live by the MIG facilitator on an oversized board. The common themes regarding the definition of outdoor dining are captured in the word cloud below, along with the live notes taken during the meeting. (The larger font is representative of a larger number of people typing in the same word).
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In addition, participants at the workshop were given the opportunity to fill in a comment sheet that they received as part of the agenda handout. The comment sheet asked the same question on how they define outdoor dining. Below is a summary of the responses received at the end of the workshop:
• Promotes open air activities.
• A way to relax off the commercial street.
• Opportunity to enjoy the community space.
• Gives the town a sense of community with family-friendly fun. • Outdoor dining operations are an area of gathering.
• Walkability in Downtown should resemble the aesthetic of a European town. • Would like commercial areas to be more walkable.
• Pleasant experience for everyone; diners and public alike. • Outdoor dining environment is quieter than dining indoors. • Keeping outdoor dining within the restaurant’s footprint can create shared space with pedestrians.
• Quality of life has been reduced due to over-expansion of outdoor dining. • Outdoor dining creates traffic gridlocks and too much congestion. • Manhattan Beach feels overrun by restaurants when it used to be a quaint town. • There is not enough parking to accommodate outdoor dining. • Promotes smoking and vaping in the alleys and walk streets. • A lot of trash is produced with outdoor dining.
• Restaurants and bars should be responsible for cleaning outdoor dining operations and maintaining it from trash and rodents.
• The aesthetic of outdoor dining operations need to be updated (take-out, food court style).
• Outdoor dining is creating a look of a street market.
After the discussion on defining outdoor dining, participants were provided with an overview of the open house portion of the workshop and the different exhibit stations. These stations included: Project Background, Residential Community Ideas, Placemaking, Outdoor Dining Features, Downtown and North End Opportunities/Challenges, and Parking Analysis. During the
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open house portion of the workshop, attendees were able to freely visit the different stations to provide input or interact with MIG and City staff with various questions or comments.
Residential Community Ideas
This station was specifically created to provide an opportunity for the residential community to share their ideas, opportunities, and concerns related to outdoor dining at the workshop.
Residents were encouraged to write on post-it notes, or speak to the MIG facilitator who organized key themes and ideas. Below is a summary of the input received at the workshop, including written submittals on the comment sheet:
• Like that this allows more opportunity for locals to dine in their own neighborhoods. • Maintain the feel of a commercial area with notable retailers. • Revitalize the aesthetic of a seaside town.
• Protect the character of the Downtown and address issues with intensification. • Look at other examples of outdoor dining in similar cities. • Establish safety measures for cyclists, especially on Highland Ave. • Construct a parking lot at the Downtown post office.
• Increase meter fees to mitigate parking issues.
• Consider parking and traffic impacts in commercial areas. • Ensure parking plans are enforced.
• Consider older residents and other modes of transportation. • Provide more late night shuttles due to concerns over drunk driving. • Remove parking meters from the sidewalk and replace parallel parking with angled parking which can create more real estate on sidewalks. • Engage adjacent residents (owners and renters).
• Consider impacts of encroachment on the residential edges of Downtown. • Raise impact fees/taxes for restaurants with increased capacity.
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• Address concerns over reducing the effective width of sidewalks and enforcement of clear pathways.
• Evaluate each proposed dining deck individually.
• Work on trash and vermin maintenance.
• Mitigate noise associated with outdoor dining.
• Limit two-story dining operations.
• Limit outdoor dining.
• Close operations one hour after sunset.
• Address concern that restaurants are backing this effort to expand occupancy at minimal costs with disregard to other retailers or customers.
• Ensure fees that are assessed as part of this program is appropriate to off-set impacts. • Focus on what is best for all concerned; not just expanding outdoor dining for restaurants.
Hometown Fair
In order to cater to a larger audience to receive input on the program development, the same exhibits from the outdoor dining community workshop were set up at the 51st Annual Manhattan Beach Hometown Fair from October 7th to 8th, 2023. The exhibits drew in people visiting the Hometown Fair as they walked by the Community Development Department booth and resulted in receiving an overwhelming number of input. The feedback received at the Hometown Fair has also been incorporated into this memorandum.
EMERGING THEMES
There were a number of overarching themes identified from this community outreach effort regarding key issues and opportunities as it relates to outdoor dining in Manhattan Beach. A vast majority of the feedback were in support of bringing back outdoor dining but also centered around the following themes, which were collected from interactive maps, comments on post-its, calligraphic comments, and comment sheets from both the community workshop and the Hometown Fair.
Traffic
There were several concerns as well as suggestions to resolving traffic and parking issues.
Some perceived that outdoor dining will result in traffic gridlocks due to numerous visitors to the City, and exacerbate the existing situation as operations expand into the right-of-way. In order to mitigate traffic-related issues, the community suggested encouraging the use of alternative modes of transit such as shuttles/trolleys, bikes, and rideshare programs, thereby creating a more pedestrian and bicycle-friendly environment.
Parking (Car and Bicycle)
Many voiced that parking is a main challenge that may only get worse with more outdoor dining and suggested expanding or constructing more parking lots. On the other hand, some noted that additional parking spaces will not solve the parking issue and that the City should consider alternatives to cars such as public transit, shuttles/trolleys, bikes, rideshare, walking, scooters, and so forth to move people in and around the City. There was particular interest and support for shuttle services and more bike facilities to alleviate some of the parking issues.
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Trash/Noise
There were several concerns regarding trash and the resulting pests and vermin. In addition, it was noted that outdoor diners and vehicle loading are a big source of noise that go into residential areas. As a result, feedback evolved around ensuring that there is better trash management and upkeep, while also setting limits on operation hours.
Walk Street Commercial Use
A vast majority of the participants were strongly in favor of allowing outdoor dining at the 15 identified walk street commercial corners. Input was received that outdoor dining on walk streets should be cognizant of its impacts to the adjacent residences. There were also suggestions to further diversify the use of walk streets with public seating areas to serve people beyond diners.
Those opposing the idea raised concerns that walk streets are already constrained and may leave little room for other retailers or non-customers. In addition, that residential blocks along the walk streets should maintain its residential character.
Desirable Features
Numerous feedback welcomed more shade in the right-of-way and outdoor seating areas with street trees or shade structures, while preserving the ocean view. Landscaping was also a very desirable feature, especially areas for dogs. In addition, the community supports incorporating safety elements such as barriers to traffic, creating more bike facilities and pedestrian-oriented environments which may include more public seating opportunities as it can revitalize and diversify the use of commercial areas for those who are not diners.
Community
Many of the various comments are built on the foundation of preserving its small beach town character. Consequently, some of the input voiced that there is too much outdoor dining that takes away from this very character. However, there were repeated or similar comments that supported the notion of building a better community with outdoor dining including, but not limited to:
• Can be a great source of building a community in commercial areas. • Provides community gathering spots.
• Create a family-friendly environment.
• Promote walkable communities.
• Supports the City’s service industry and local economy. • Is a great asset to the community as the beach and outdoor dining go together.
EXHIBITS
Placemaking
This exhibit asked participants to share and define which elements they would like to see that contributed to placemaking such as seating, public art, landscaping/greenery, street trees, wayfinding/signage, parklets, and bike facilities/parking.
The most popular topics to consider in terms of improvements to the public realm were:
1. Street trees
2. Bike facilities/parking
3. Parklets
4. Landscaping/greenery
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Takeaways from comments related to each topic are as follows:
Seating (40 stickers)
• More seating is needed for a people-oriented approach to commercial space, especially on walk streets.
• Benches create a place for relaxation.
• Seating is necessary but their cleanliness should be managed. • More benches in front of retail stores.
• Consider benches of varying heights.
Public Art (45 stickers)
• More public art.
• Make it unique to Manhattan Beach without sacrificing green spaces. • The streets are too narrow for public art.
Landscaping/Greenery (65 stickers)
• More landscaping and greenery would be nice, but only if they are well-maintained. • More landscaping near the sidewalk to give a cleaner look. • Create areas for dogs.
• Public vegetable gardens.
• Extending green walkways will create more traffic.
Street Trees (89 stickers)
• More trees can provide the needed shade.
• Would like to see more trees planted, especially in commercial corners. • Consider potted trees so roots do not disrupt sidewalk infrastructure. • Trees will reduce access to parking.
Wayfinding and Signage (11 stickers)
• Signage can be useful but only to map parking options and bus/shuttle routes. • Excessive signage can be an eyesore.
• Do not make white street signs; the old ones we could see better and do not fade.
Parklets (75 stickers)
• We would like more parklets.
• Refer to Yountville in Napa Valley for parklets with green space. • Parklets are a great alternative to walk street space. • Parklets lead to traffic and trash.
Bike Facilities/Parking (79 stickers)
• New/more protected bike lanes and bike racks with enforced speed limits. • More bike parking can help reduce parking issues.
• Consolidate bike lock locations for less clutter and increased safety.
Other types of public improvements that were suggested:
• Improve lighting
• Improve pedestrian facilities to all roads that lead to the pier. • Create pedestrian zones to increase business revenue. 7 | Page
• Make Manhattan Beach Blvd. more pedestrian and bike-friendly. • Create an art workshop center from recycle and compost. • Divert traffic and find parking solutions.
• Expand sidewalks as they are too narrow to support more outdoor dining operations.
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Outdoor Dining Features
Participants were also prompted to provide their preferences on specific features they would like integrated into the program such as barriers to traffic, roof element/shade, standardized design/aesthetics, standardized furnishings, preservation of ocean views, quality of materials, and maintenance/upkeep.
The most popular topics to consider in terms of the design and implementation of outdoor dining were:
1. Roof element/shade
2. Preserve ocean views
3. Barriers to traffic
4. Maintenance and upkeep
Takeaways from comments related to each topic are as follows:
Barriers to Traffic (93 stickers)
• Like the safety element of the barriers.
• Consider clear barriers to accommodate pedestrians and preserve views. • Should be designed to be attractive features and placed where it does not take away more right-of-way space.
Roof Element/Shade (102 stickers)
• Like umbrellas or other forms for shade.
• Allow awnings to extend over outdoor dining areas.
• Prioritize the ocean views instead of umbrellas.
Standardized Design/Aesthetic (59 stickers)
• Minimum standards are needed.
• Aesthetics of the outdoor dining operation should match the restaurant or the feel of Manhattan Beach; not The Grove or something too thematic like Disneyland. • Avoid too much clutter in the design.
• All dining structures should look uniform including barriers, umbrellas, etc. • Use basic colors (black or ocean blue).
Standardized furnishings (12 stickers)
• Yes for standardized furnishings.
• Furnishings should resemble the individual restaurant.
Preserve ocean views (97 stickers)
• Outdoor dining is a great opportunity to enjoy views of the ocean. • Preserving ocean views is very important.
• Can be difficult to achieve with outdoor umbrellas, heaters, etc.
Quality of Materials (60 stickers)
• Quality of materials is not important.
• Quality materials in outdoor dining is needed to meet the aesthetic standards of this town.
• Decks need to be safe and built well.
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Maintenance and upkeep (88 stickers)
• There needs to be better maintenance and upkeep of commercial areas. • More trash maintenance should be implemented especially during summer months.
Other outdoor dining considerations which were important to people:
• Outdoor dining is important for the community experience. • Enjoyable outdoor dining will increase property value. • Make it dog-friendly.
• Consider traffic impacts.
• Limit size of outdoor dining operations not on private property. • Outdoor dining operations should not encroach on sidewalks. • Keep it off of public property, it reduces public use of land. • No outside advertising on fronts except for signage of establishment. • Outdoor dining expansions do not fit into the small-town character and ambience of Manhattan Beach.
• Must allocate space equitably.
• Set limited hours; vacate dining by 10pm.
• Rooftop dining can mitigate the issues of congested streets. • Provide heaters in the colder months.
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Downtown and North End – Opportunities and Challenges
At this station, participants were invited to share their ideas regarding the challenges and opportunities related to outdoor dining in Downtown and North End. The exercise allowed participants to use stickers to identify key opportunities and challenges on the maps and to use sticky-notes to write their opinions. The options on the stickers included the following.
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1. Downtown
The following is a summary of emerging ideas from the posters and the comment sheets:
1.1. Opportunities
Public Seating (14 stickers): Desired at street corners, including walk street commercial corners, and near the library/civic center. Sprinkled throughout intersections and near the Strand.
• Integrate more benches and tables in walk streets.
• N eed more places to sit but they should all look similar. • Place more seating areas in several different locations.
Outdoor Dining (Sidewalk: 35 stickers / Dining Decks: 62 stickers): Sidewalk dining is desired mainly along Manhattan Beach Blvd., Manhattan Ave., and Highland Ave.
Dining Decks are desired mainly along Manhattan Beach Blvd. and Manhattan Ave. • Yes for all outdoor dining everywhere.
• Outdoor dining is a must in Manhattan Beach.
• Consider using the pier parking lot for outdoor dining. • Need to maintain balance of restaurants and retail so there is no mass dining take-over. • There are already too many outdoor dining operations in Downtown.
Passenger Drop-Off/Pick-Up (17 stickers): Desired in or near existing parking lots such as Vons, Metlox, and the civic center.
Bicycle Parking (22 stickers): Desired near Vons, Metlox, library, pier parking lots and generally throughout Downtown.
• There should be more bike parking and bike lanes, particularly along Manhattan Beach Blvd.
1.2. Challenges
Trash (13 stickers): Identified at the intersections of Manhattan Beach Blvd./Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach Blvd./Ocean Dr., and Manhattan Ave./10th St.
• Outdoor dining operations create too much trash, especially on Manhattan Ave., and attracts vermin (e.g., Center Place).
Parking (9 stickers): Identified as an issue throughout Downtown.
• Outdoor dining operations take away parking spots to accommodate private seating. • There is not enough parking for visitors going to other commercial areas. • When visitors take parking, there is not enough parking for employees in the Downtown area.
• Encourage alternative forms of transportation.
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• Revamp the old parking garage by Metlox, then open spots around town for dining.
Narrow Sidewalks (18 stickers): Identified around Highland Ave./13th St., Highland Ave./Manhattan Beach Blvd., and 10th St./Manhattan Ave.
• It is hard to walk through the street without bumping into sidewalk dining chairs or waiters.
• Manage pedestrian pathways to avoid over congestion on sidewalks. • Leave room for walking/wheelchair passage in outdoor seating.
Noise (15 stickers): Identified around 13th St./Highland Ave. and 10th St./Manhattan Ave.
• There is too much noise on Manhattan Ave. and commercial corners of Highland Ave. • N oise is a challenge, especially in the morning.
Traffic/Loading (13 stickers): Identified around Manhattan Ave./10th St., Manhattan Beach Blvd./Highland Ave., Manhattan Beach Blvd./Ocean Dr.
• Outdoor dining operations has contributed to traffic, especially on and near Manhattan Ave.
• Enforce the proper utilization of loading zones.
1.3. Other
• No more banks or offices on the ground level of Downtown; add more restaurants and a variety of shops.
• Draw inspiration from Europe and create pedestrian-friendly streets and outdoor dining. • If Scotland has outdoor dining where it rains 11 months out of the year, surely Manhattan Beach can do it. It will always come down to nimby’s vs. everyone else that wants it. • R educing outdoor dining operations can result in loss of revenue for Manhattan Beach. • S upport small businesses.
• R ethink expanding outdoor dining as retailers are feeling pushed out. • Close off Manhattan Beach Blvd. to cars; terrace the streets and add greenery. • Consider impacts to traffic if streets are closed for pedestrians. • In terms of air quality, outdoor dining is a better option than indoor areas that never gets outdoor air.
• Other beach cities were able to keep their outdoor dining; we should too. • Broaden the program so as not to focus solely on restaurants.
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2. North End
The following is a summary of emerging ideas from the posters and the comment sheets:
2.1. Opportunities
Public Seating (0 stickers)
• Would like to see more benches and seating in commercial corners.
Outdoor Dining (Sidewalk: 7 stickers / Dining Decks: 10 stickers): Desired along sections of Highland Ave. between Rosecrans Ave. and 34th to 36th St.
• Additional outdoor dining would be phenomenal.
• Love outdoor dining, please make it work for adjacent neighbors. • S uggest rooftop dining, especially in North End.
• No additional outdoor dining.
Passenger Drop-Off/Pick-Up (2 stickers): Desired near Rosecrans Ave. and Highland Ave.
• Passenger drop-off/pick-up location near the Highrose project site would be nice.
Bicycle Parking (9 stickers): Desired along Highland Ave. at every corner south of Rosecrans Ave.
• There should be more bike parking and bike lanes as it will encourage people to take their bikes to North End.
• There can be more bike racks on Highland Ave.
2.2. Challenges
Trash (1 sticker): Identified near Highland Ave. and 35th St.
• There is too much trash in commercial corners; more trash management is needed near Highland Ave.
Parking (3 stickers): Identified as an issue near Highland Ave. and 34th St.
• There is not enough parking, which we need more of.
• Consider building underground parking near Lot 4 for restaurants.
Narrow Sidewalks (3 stickers): Identified along Highland Ave. that intersects with 35th St., 38th St., and Rosecrans Ave.
• Narrow sidewalks are a challenge in commercial corners. • There is too much foot traffic in commercial corners and outdoor dining makes it worse. • Due to the narrow roads and commuter traffic, outdoor dining in North End is not feasible.
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• Fish Bar and Thai have no space on sidewalks; it is very narrow and the parking spots are needed for Fish Bar deliveries.
Noise (2 stickers): Identified as an issue along Highland Ave.
• There needs to be more noise management near the Highland Ave. commercial areas as it impacts the residents nearby.
• An evening time limit should be established.
Traffic/Loading (7 stickers): Identified as an issue along Highland Ave. • Do not take away lanes north or southbound on Highland Ave.; traffic congestion will be exponential.
3. Walk Streets
The Downtown and North End exhibits also included an opportunity for community members to share their thoughts about the proposed walk street commercial corridors identified in Downtown and North End. Specifically, participants were asked to vote on whether there should be more outdoor dining opportunities at the identified walk street commercial corners and what opportunities and constraints should be considered. Based on the votes, 254 (Downtown: 155 / North End: 99) people were for and 39 (Downtown: 18 / North End: 21) were against outdoor dining on the identified walk street commercial corners with the following comments:
• Should be available at all locations for current and future tenants. • 34th street corner outdoor dining should be allowed during the day. • 35th street corners would be nice for outdoor dining. • Take advantage of walk street dining with views.
• Consider reduced dining hours.
• Ensure trash management and close at 9pm.
• Limit size and hours, remove furniture overnight.
• Consider bike parking and a dedicated Uber pick-up/drop-off location. • Preserve views to the ocean.
• Do not obstruct pedestrian traffic.
• Oppose outdoor dining on walk streets as it is very constrained. • Too many outdoor dining operations that take over the walk streets. • Noise and trash concerns, specifically when adjacent to residences. • There is insufficient space for the usage; congestion and parking issues would be added to an already limited space.
• Neighborhoods should remain largely residential even if it is adjacent to commercial.
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Parking Analysis
When collecting input from comment cards, the guided exhibits, and the presentation, it was evident that parking and traffic were prominent subjects that needed to be addressed in order to develop a program enjoyed by the community. Below are questions posed to participants about parking in the guided exhibit and a summary of responses.
What are some of the challenges that employees, visitors and community members face when parking?
• Parking is generally a challenge for residents and visitors, and more challenging during summer months.
• More outdoor dining means more parking demand and traffic congestion due to customers and employees serving them.
• Parking is far from businesses.
• Parking can be unsafe for vulnerable groups like late night employees and women due to distance of parking and lack of lighting at night.
• Broken meters are taking away available parking spaces. • Parking impacts on non-restaurants need to be considered. • Parking is in high demand, especially in front of employment locations. • There is no parking during any time of the day on 10th St. and Highland Ave. • North End generally has limited parking.
• Unless private spaces are designated for restaurants, parking remains a challenge.
What are some of the solutions or strategies to consider to improve the parking experience?
• This is a good opportunity to put in more bike lanes and bike racks; provide bike valet service; and enforce bike safety.
• Bring back on-demand valet/rideshare services.
• Consider off-site parking options with low cost or free shuttle service to take people around commercial areas.
• Commercial area employees should be granted free parking and free shuttle rides. • Shuttle service that operate late into the night can benefit many visitors to the commercial areas.
• Rideshare is a useful alternative to private modes of transportation. • Designate passenger pick-up/drop-off areas for rideshare. • Refocus on ridesharing and public transit instead of creating more parking. • Build more parking structures.
• Buy residential properties and build parking lots on them. • Higher parking rates may prevent car use and benefit the City. • Create higher parking rates from 6pm to midnight.
• Allow resident parking permits at a local rate while leveraging non-local individuals to park at a premium.
• Improve signage on parking restrictions/availability. • County parking lots (i.e., upper and lower pier parking lots) should be utilized better. • Limiting outdoor dining can improve parking experience. • Keep restaurants from encroaching on parking spaces that retailers benefit from. • Create angled parking spaces since parallel parking creates traffic. • Speak to local businesses on parking implementation.
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• Adding more parking spots will not solve the challenge of traffic. • There should be more parking lots if that is the only solution. • Enter shared parking agreements with neighboring stores such as Vons. • Find suitable parking locations.