The View from Ward 2: Issue #19

Outdoor Dining Expansion Proposals

Outdoor dining was permitted for the first time this past weekend. We have all seen how some bars and restaurants struggled to comply with the spacing requirements causing alarm among us who want to see a successful and safe reopening.

These extraordinary times calls for bold and innovative policies that will increase both safety and the quality of life for our residents and businesses. There are several items on tonight’s City Council meeting’s agenda that will accomplish those goals.

I drafted a resolution that will authorize the Planning Commission to waive certain requirements for conditional use permits for outdoor dining. This will allow bars and restaurants to significantly expand their outdoor dining capacity. Restaurants could potentially serve customers in parking lots or in areas usually reserved for street parking and will allow for parklets for the first time in Lakewood. Parklets are “public seating platforms that convert curbside parking spaces into vibrant community spaces. Also known as street seats or curbside seating, parklets are the product of a partnership between the city and local businesses, residents, or neighborhood associations. Most parklets have a distinctive design that incorporates seating, greenery, and/or bike racks and accommodate unmet demand for public space on thriving neighborhood retail streets or commercial areas.” Councilmember At-Large Tom Bullock drafted a communication, cosigned by Councilmember Sarah Kepple and me, advocating that the City encourage and swiftly approve requests from our local businesses to create parklets.

I also drafted a letter addressed to Mayor George, signed by all my Council colleagues, requesting that the Mayor and her staff identify sections of Madison Avenue and Detroit Avenue to close to vehicle traffic, as well as corresponding cross streets that can be dead ended. Identifying streets suitable to close, temporarily, to vehicle traffic will increase dining space available in Lakewood’s restaurants by expanding outdoor dining capacity. It may also have the added benefit of providing more space for recreation, thereby helping to alleviate overcrowding at parks. These closures can be for the duration of the state of the emergency, during designated hours, or on particular days, like Friday evenings.

The communications and resolution can be found on the agenda here.

Face Coverings in Lakewood

At last week’s Rules & Ordinances Committee meeting we continued to discuss if any additional legislation is needed to assist businesses in enforcing face coverings if they require them. We concluded that no specific ordinance needs to be developed because a customer that does not comply with a business owner’s face covering requirement can be charged with criminal trespass. There is not, and will most likely not be, a face covering mandate in Lakewood. Thank you to those who provided feedback on this issue.

Middle School Mock Trial

Last week I had the privilege of being the presiding judge over two virtual mock trials. Our very own Harding Middle School participated, along with Menlo Park Academy and Trellis. The students acted as prosecutors and defense attorneys, gave opening and closing statements, and directed and cross examined witnesses. I was impressed by their knowledge of the rules of evidence and their ability to think on their feet when challenged. Congratulations to all students on a job well done!

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