SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — One of the lingering effects of the pandemic has been the outdoor parklets. Most were quickly built to allow customers to safely sit outside while providing a lifeline to small businesses.
However, it has now been more than five years, and we’re raising the question of whether it’s time to phase them out.
San Francisco touts itself as a progressive city, but let’s be honest here: we’re not always quick to welcome change.
Sure, we have new billboards that claim “It’s so over. We’re so back.” But are we, though, following the pandemic?
Take parklets, for example. There are those who are brave enough to ask, “Why are they still here?”
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“My biggest beef is that the city just looks tattered with them,” said Sara Deseran in the San Francisco Standard’s Off Muni Newsletter.
The title of her article is “Don’t hate me, but I hate parkets.”
“I just feel like they are an eyesore. They are potentially dangerous,” she said.
Actually, some say it’s surprising there haven’t been more accidents involving vehicles crashing into parklets.
“They are also, honestly, there are a lot of rodents that are beneath them,” Deseran said..
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Wait, rodents? We wondered what happens to the food that accidentally drops underneath that parklet and remains there for a while.
“It is a rodent haven. All the food drops under there, and they live under there, and I’ve seen them scurry out from under them. So if we’re concerned about mice and rats, that is another whole thing to talk about,” Deseran said.
For others, it’s about the association parklets have with the pandemic.
“It’s a reminder of the COVID era, which is over now. It’s time to move on,” said SF resident David Banton.
However, despite these complaints, the reality is that there are fewer parklets today — from approximately 1,000 at the height of the pandemic to around 350 today.
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When the city later began enforcing strict guidelines around building and maintaining parklets, it meant an added expense for businesses.
“Well over $20,000,” said Maurice Darwish, owner of The Cover restaurant in the Castro neighborhood.
That was just to get his parklet up to code.
Some small businesses couldn’t afford to keep them and had to give them up.
“They need to be kept and well-maintained — gutters clear, free of graffiti, in good standing — and that could be a lot for a small business,” said Monica Munowitch, SFMTA’s Shared Spaces program manager.
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For commercial parklets, the annual fee to occupy two parking spaces is more $4,600, but half of that is waived if the gross receipts of that business add up to less than $2.5 million.
Despite the costs, Darwish told us he’s not ready to give up his parklet.
“Ah, I don’t know if I would ever give it up. It brings more revenue, but it also gives people a choice not to be in an enclosed space with a lot of people,” Darwish said.
The Hayes Valley neighborhood is like a fortress of parklets.
“Really, we’ve increased our floor size by one-third, so adding one-third more to our business is a lot. I think we almost got lucky by this happening, because it’s opening up a revenue stream for us that we didn’t have before,” said Khalid Mushasha, director of Operations for “A Mano” Restaurant.
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However, as some of those older parklets begin to phase out, the city has recently added another way to support small businesses.
In its efforts to further beautify San Francisco, the city is now inviting businesses to set out tables and chairs, giving the area a more Parisian feel.
No permits, site plans, or certificates of insurance are required. The only requirement is enough space for the public to walk.
“So now you simply need to register your business, and that is quick and easy to do online,” Munowitch said.
“It’s good to see that the red tape is opening up and making it easier for us to apply, and obviously, we believe in the city. So we’re seeing businesses come back to San Francisco, and we want that to continue, so we’re excited,” Mushasha said.
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