Dining Decks Extended by Manhattan Beach City Council
Dec 22, 2021 06:42AM ● By Jeanne Fratello
The outdoor dining deck at Slay Steak and Fish House
Temporary outdoor dining decks in Manhattan Beach have been given a new lease on life, as the Manhattan Beach City Council unanimously agreed on Tuesday night to allow restaurants to keep the decks beyond January 3.
The agreement will allow restaurants to keep the temporary dining decks while the state of California remains in a declared state of emergency due to COVID-19.
Councilmembers also voted to raise the fee charged to restaurants to $3 per square foot per month for use of the public right-of-way, up from $1 per square foot per month.
Councilmembers also voted to raise the fee charged to restaurants to $3 per square foot per month for use of the public right-of-way, up from $1 per square foot per month.
The move followed an outpouring of public sentiment in favor of the decks, after the December 7 City Council meeting in which the council had reaffirmed its earlier decision to shut down the temporary decks after January 3.
Since that meeting, a restaurant-led effort called Outdoor Dining Manhattan Beach has garnered support from more than 3,200 community members.
Yet City Council members emphasized that their decision to extend the dining decks was based on the threat of the new, highly contagious omicron variant of COVID-19, not on community emails or the social media campaigns of Outdoor Dining Manhattan Beach.
Councilmembers also stressed that they have worked collaboratively with downtown business owners since the start of the pandemic to support and expand downtown dining options. Council members spoke of the goal of developing long-term outdoor dining solutions.
"I think it‘s sad that what started out as a collaborative effort has now turned more adversarial," said Mayor Pro Tem Steve Napolitano.
Some councilmembers blamed "the media" for riling up community members after the December 7 meeting and for characterizing the December 7 decision as a single rejection of outdoor dining.
DigMB has had regular and ongoing coverage of the outdoor dining issue throughout the pandemic, including the June 2020 launch of the temporary dining decks. A timeline of those stories is as follows:
- The Manhattan Beach City Council's rare and last-minute May 25, 2020 holiday meeting in which they approved a letter to the county urging officials to allow restaurants to re-open.
- The Manhattan Beach City Council's June 9, 2020 vote to approve temporary dining decks in the public right-of-way.
- The City Council's July 4, 2020 vote to expand opportunities for restaurants to apply for outdoor dining deck permits.
- City Council's August 4, 2020 decision to extend operating hours for restaurants until 11:00 p.m.
- The L.A. County Board of Supervisors' November 24, 2021 decision to suspend in-person dining during the winter COVID surge.
- The January 29, 2021 re-opening of outdoor dining after the stay-at-home order was lifted.
- City Council's February 16, 2021 agreement to extend the closure of Manhattan Ave. for outdoor dining.
- The February 23, 2021 re-opening of Manhattan Ave. to vehicular traffic.
- The March 15, 2021 re-opening of indoor dining to 25 percent capacity.
- The city's March 16, 2021 agreement to expand outdoor dining opportunities, including spaces on Manhattan Beach Blvd. west of Ocean Ave.
- City Council's May 18, 2021 agreement to extend temporary outdoor dining decks through Labor Day.
- City Council's June 15, 2021 agreement to allow an extension of outdoor dining decks on Manhattan Beach Blvd. west of Ocean Ave.
- City Council's July 6, 2021 decision to waive outdoor usage fees for the public right-of-way through Labor Day.
- City Council's August 24, 2021 agreement to extend the temporary dining decks until January 3.
- City Council's September 21, 2021 decision to begin charging $1 per square foot for use of the public right-of-way.
- City Council's October 5, 2021 agreement to scale back dining decks to allow retailers to reclaim access to their storefronts.
- CIty Council's December 7, 2021 decision to reaffirm closure of temporary dining decks by January 3.