CHULA VISTA, Calif. (KGTV) – It’s wonderful weather in Chula Vista for those heading to Third Avenue.
“Especially when the weather’s really nice, you want to eat outside,” Maria Diaz said.
Diaz and her friends are soaking it in as they enjoy lunch on the Vogue Tavern’s outdoor dining patio.
“Having a choice of whether you go inside or outside. We love it outside! We’ve been here several times, and we just love it,” Diaz said.
Dr. Gonzalo Quintero, co-owner of the Vogue Tavern, told ABC 10News he loves what the patio means for his business, too.
“We have the capacity to serve an additional 40 people on this deck. Over this holiday weekend, we were busy from Thursday evening through Monday evening. And there was no way I would’ve been able to serve all of those customers during that time,” Quintero said.
But the time for outdoor patios is coming to an end.
Quintero, who is also the president of the Downtown Chula Vista Association, said they knew the patios' sunset date was approaching and wanted to work with the City to keep them.
“We want to have a discussion, a civil dialogue. You know, these desks have, of course, been a fixture for our businesses, but they’re a fixture for the community,” Quintero said.
The business owner also said losing the patios hits businesses’ bottom lines.
“It affects job creation and growth and, ultimately, it affects the public because sales tax revenue goes away. And we don’t have the money to pay for landscaping, for paving of the roads, for police and firefighters,” Quintero said.
The City of Chula Vista sent ABC 10News the following statement regarding the outdoor dining parklets:
“The City is proud of the partnerships formed with our local businesses as we worked together to navigate the challenges of COVID-19. In July 2020, the City issued temporary permits to allow businesses to expand outdoors on public property. Today, the parklets are negatively impacting more businesses than they are helping because not all can benefit from the temporary permits. With the parklets on public land, the City must prioritize equitable access. The City also must ensure that the businesses are compliant with permitting requirements, and if not, will revoke the permits. Most permits are set to expire on June 30, 2024, but the City authorized an extension to July 30, 2024. Based on additional feedback, the City is setting a final deadline following Labor Day, September 2, 2024, to support summer activities. The sidewalk cafes in the area will also continue to be allowed and enjoyed by all.”
A city spokesperson clarified the final day of the parklets is the day after Labor Day on September 3.
“When you look at these parakeets, they were always considered temporary,” Mayor John McCann, City of Chula Vista, said. "They were taking up multiple parking spots. So just because they're helping a restaurant, they may not necessarily be helping the store next because they've lost their parking spaces."
Quintero says he started an online petition to keep the patios and has made his voice heard at the city council.
"And we have nearly 400 signatures in four days in support of keeping these public patios,” Quintero said. "It's a place for people to have food, folks and fun."
Mayor McCann told ABC 10News he’s open to listening to what the community says.
"I want to make sure we're supporting our small businesses. The City of Chula Vista is business friendly, and we want to make sure that we're bringing in people so we can get their information on how we can potentially do this to find a win-win situation,” McCann said.
