Sacramento approves newest outdoor dining plan. Here’s what it could look like
Sacramento’s outdoor food scene is here to stay after City Council approved a permanent dining plan Tuesday.
Through the anticipated plan, Al Fresco Dining Program, Sacramento restaurants will be able to use the city’s right-of-way for outdoor dining with a “reputable permit.”
“We are not going to be taking down any outdoor dining, we are going to be working towards a transition schedule,” said Matt Eierman, parking services division manager with the city of Sacramento during a Council meeting Tuesday.
The city’s more than two-year temporary outdoor program was set to expire on June 30, but now it will be extended through 2023 to help businesses transition to the new plan. This means larger dinning areas, enhanced patio designs and safer streets said Staci Hovermale, project manger for the Al Fresco Dining Program during the Council meeting.
But throughout the program’s development process, several restaurants echoed a similar request: A faster, easier permit process. In response, the city developed pre-designed, pre-approved outdoor dining options for businesses.
Here what Sacramento’s outdoor dining spaces could look like:
“This is one of the great things that came from the last couple of years,” said Sacramento City Councilwoman Angelique Ashby during the meeting.
City staff created an interactive website, set to launch July 1, with checklists for businesses, layouts with estimates and more. City staff plan to take an “Al Fresco” fees schedule and grant program proposal to City Council in fall 2020.
A lot of money goes into building and maintaining a parklet including graffiti abatement, scratch and damage removal, concrete power washing, leaf blowing and range of other improvements. It’s worth it, though, said Seann Rooney, who represents local businesses in the Handle District in a interview with The Bee hours before the City Council approved the dining proposal.
And while it’s unclear if restaurants will like building the extra space and paying for it, “most people really value the outdoor patio space in Sacramento,” said Rooney, executive director for the district. “Our outdoor patio seating really saved us over the last couple of years, customers tell us time and again that they love it.”
This story was originally published June 22, 2022 at 11:08 AM.