Hermosa Beach okays sidewalk dining
The Hermosa Beach City Council has moved to allow sidewalk dining in most restaurant areas, following al fresco eating on a trial basis. The council also agreed to study allowing sidewalk signs and other displays in front of retail stores, which now is mostly banned. The move to allow tables on the city-owned sidewalks was approved 4-1, with Mayor Jeff Duclos dissenting. Duclos pushed instead for an extension of the trial run through the summer, saying only two eateries were using sidewalk tables, and the effects of outdoor dining could not be measured by such a small sample. (A small number of additional businesses have outdoor tables as well, but the tables sit on their own property rather than the sidewalk.) With the change, tables will be allowed on portions of the sidewalks up against the buildings, taking up 30 percent or less of a sidewalk’s width. Outdoor dining already is allowed on city-owned patio space in front of eateries on the Pier Plaza. With the change, city sidewalks can be used for dining all over town, except on the revamped upper Pier Avenue, which is governed by a special zoning agreement, and Pacific Coast Highway, which is controlled by state officials who…
Read this story on easyreadernews.com