The new Downtown Outdoor Dining Program plan will charge businesses between $750 and $3,500 to set up outdoor dining spaces
By RORY CONLON — rhconlon@ucdavis.edu
On Sept. 12, Councilmember Dara Dungworth presented the proposed Downtown Outdoor Dining Program to the Davis Downtown board of directors. It would mandate businesses to pay between $750 and $3,500 to get outdoor dining spaces approved by the city.
The program is being spearheaded by Katie Yancey, the city of Davis’ economic director. Since Yancey couldn’t attend the Davis Downtown meeting, Dungworth, the city of Davis’ principal planner, presented the plan in her absence.
“The first part of this effort […] is trying to tidy things up and put a bookend on COVID-19-era outdoor dining,” Dungworth said. “[It’s] putting in place a really structured, predictable, reasonable program that was initially identified for outdoor dining. We are going to look at expanding it to general retail uses.”
The plan will charge businessowners on the types of facilities they want to set up and the place they put them. Dungworth outlined the four sidewalk zones that expand from the building facade to the public right of way in the street.
“Zones A, C and D in this graphic are eligible for private use under the proposed outdoor dining program,” Dungworth said. “Zone B is the public sidewalk and the most accessible mode of travel, [so] that will need to be maintained.”
There are three types of outdoor dining plans, according to Dungworth. The first, which would cost businesses a $750 application deposit, allows a fence and furnishings like tables, chairs and benches in Zones A and C. Dungworth also discussed what was covered by the deposit.
“It includes the processing of the application checklist, the review and execution of the licensing agreement, verifying insurance and coordinating ABC compliance if needed,” Dungworth said. “We coordinate with the city attorney for legal review, and the city staff also reviews the fence and furnishings based on the design standards Katie [Yancey] is working on.”
If businesses want to add in facilities like outdoor heaters and lighting, it would require an application deposit of $1,500. Dungworth said she attributed the higher fee to the need for public works and the fire department to ensure its safety.
The third type of outdoor dining includes fencing, utilities and a larger structure like
a wooden awning. It allows business owners to expand into zones A, C and D in exchange for a $3,500 application deposit.
“Because there is quite a bit more review and it’s a permanent structure, the deposit is $3,500,” Dungworth said. “[Also], if you’re in realm D, which would be in the public right of way, public works is looking at whether there are underground utilities, like a storm drain or drain inlet, that we might have to work around.”
If the program is passed, businesses would be required to pay a $349 renewal fee for any outdoor dining facilities. They would also have to pay rent based on either a yearly or monthly basis on the sidewalk zones their facilities occupy.
“In zones A and C, based on the cost of additional wear and tear to the sidewalk, it works out to $1.92 per square foot per year,” Dungworth said. “[Rent] in civic spaces and zone D are based on comparable retail and restaurant rates in the Downtown Davis area and they’ve been addressed to account for the seasonality of outdoor dining. It’s only applied to usable space and it comes out to $1.10 per square foot per month.”
Dungworth said that the Outdoor Dining Program is still in early stages, and she invited community members to give feedback.
Janis Lott, who has owned the downtown Davis business Newsbeat for 35 years, said she looks forward to hearing more about the plan as it’s developed.
“I do appreciate the focus on dining, because even pre-COVID-19, it’s been a little bit Wild West,” Lott said. “When it gets to the point of expanding to retail, I would be really interested in what that looks like.”
Brett Lee, the executive director of the Davis Downtown Business Association, said he urged businessowners to spread the word about the proposed program.
“It’s very important to emphasize that this format applies throughout the downtown,” Lee said. “For instance, if you’re one of the entities that has something like this already, or you’ve wondered about how you might like something like this in the future, this is not G-Street specific. These are proposed fees, so it’s going to go through a couple of iterations and there’s plenty of time for us to give feedback.”
Community members can give feedback at the upcoming Oct. 1 city council meeting, where the proposal will be officially pitched to council members and the wider Davis community.
Written by: Rory Conlon — rhconlon@ucdavis.edu
