San Clemente extends parklet program to 2029 with tighter design rules

San Clemente's City Council voted May 5 to extend its outdoor dining parklet program through January 2029, coupling the three-year renewal with new design rules that cap installations, restrict furniture colors and limit structure heights.

The vote preserves a pandemic-era program that generates an estimated $160,000 to $184,000 in annual city fees, while responding to complaints from retail neighbors who said parklet structures were blocking their storefronts on Avenida Del Mar and other downtown streets.

The ordinance, approved at a May 5 council meeting, caps parklets at 10 on Avenida Del Mar and five on any other city street, Voice of OC reported. Nine parklets currently operate on Avenida Del Mar, occupying about 20 percent of available parking on the corridor.

New design standards limit each installation to two slanted or three squared parking spaces. Outdoor furniture must be brown or black, umbrellas may not exceed 7 feet and portable heaters are capped at 5 feet. All existing operators must bring structures into compliance by Sept. 30.

Councilmember Zhen Wu said visibility concerns drove much of the council's deliberation. "Blocking other storefronts is one of the biggest issues because we certainly don't want to reduce the visibility to the other stores," Wu said at an April 21 meeting, according to Voice of OC.

A survey of Avenida Del Mar businesses cited in Voice of OC found 80 percent favored some form of outdoor dining and 60 percent supported the current parklet design. Business owner Mikii Rathmann urged the council to weigh the value of a mixed commercial corridor. "People come downtown for an experience, and that experience is created by a mix of retail, restaurants and services," Rathmann said.

Mayor Rick Loeffler framed the vote as a binary choice between reform and termination. "We either do something like this, where we take the other businesses and make them equal with the restaurants, or we just let the program expire," Loeffler said.

Under the new framework, city staff will hold private meetings with landlords and business owners to negotiate individual designs before each case advances to the Planning Commission. The city will also shift to monthly billing, replacing a previous multi-month invoicing schedule.

The ordinance took effect immediately upon council approval. City staff are expected to begin outreach to existing parklet operators ahead of the Sept. 30 compliance deadline.