The number of downtown dining parklets out of compliance with Santa Barbara’s new stormwater runoff requirements continues to diminish, with only 15 left to make the needed changes to meet the new rules, city officials said.
The first round of inspections showed only 17 out of the 50 outdoor parklets between the 400 and 1300 blocks of State Street had undergone the changes needed to ensure stormwater could flow freely down lower State Street, while 33 were not.
A second round of inspections noted 12 parklets remained non-compliant, with four more needed to be inspected.
“Following inspection of the remaining four parklets, we now have a total of 15 that were non-complaint as of the last inspection,” Sarah Clark, downtown plaza parking manager, told the News-Press. “Several of these businesses have contacted us and are working to bring their facilities into compliance.
“The first round of administrative citations should go out this week,” she said. “I don’t know the exact compliance date yet. We will schedule the next round of inspections following that compliance date.”
The deadline set by the Santa Barbara City Council was Dec. 1. The goal was to allow rainwater to flow uninterrupted down the street instead of being allowed to accumulate and flood storefronts and sidewalks.
In most cases, restaurants have complied with the new requirements by cutting drainage channels and using steel diamond plate to bridge the gap. Others have pulled their parklets away from the curb and made them narrow. A few have removed platforms and switched to portable, at-grade designs.
Parklets that were in operation as of Sept. 20 are not required to be made portable, so many of the existing facilities are not. Newly constructed parklets must be designed to be portable.
Staff has vowed that in the event of a big storm, any parklet that is not portable and blocks the flow of stormwater will be moved to ensure there is no flooding onto the sidewalks, and that the owner will be billed for the expense.
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