‘Clean sweep’ curbs outdoor dining
The city’s “Hermosa Clean Sweep” campaign, which cleared the sidewalks of non-permitted business signs, merchandise and furniture, has ended most outdoor dining on the newly remade upper Pier Avenue, and suspended it – at the least – along most of Hermosa Avenue. On the seaside Pier Plaza, where restaurants have long held permits to maintain large patios on city-owned pavement, al fresco dining will continue unhindered. The “Clean Sweep” announced last month, directing businesspeople to remove non-permitted signs, furniture and merchandise from the public right-of-way, followed complaints from residents who said Hermosa sidewalks have become unsafely blocked, city officials said. On Hermosa Avenue, restaurateurs will be able to return their tables and chairs to the sidewalk if they can secure city encroachment permits, but the granting of those permits is not a sure thing. The City Council would have to amend the zoning code to let eateries add outdoor tables – which would expand their footprint – without increasing their parking requirements. Some Hermosa Avenue eateries have permits already, and their tables remain, for instance, the Starbucks and Coffee Bean coffeehouses hold…
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