San Francisco restaurants, already hit hard by the pandemic, are dealing with yet another issue, this time with what many have cited as the main reason they’ve been able to stay open – parklets.
Despite a statement issued on Tuesday by Mayor London Breed assuring businesses that the city will continue to support parklets, many North Beach restaurants were hit with fines on Wednesday, according to reporting by the San Francisco Chronicle.
This has created confusion and anxiety amongst business owners who are no longer clear about what they might have to change, and when.
Breed's statement said that in order to keep the parklets permanently, which were permitted at the height of the pandemic as part of the city's Shared Spaces program, many need to come into safety compliance.
"Here's the situation: in the long-run, we need to implement guidelines so that structures don’t pose a fire hazard, block Muni stops, or violate the Americans with Disabilities Act," the statement read. But businesses have until June to make the changes necessary to come into compliance, according to the statement.
However, city inspectors wrote up citations for many North Beach businesses for fines of up to $500 daily if parklets aren’t fixed within two weeks, the paper reported.
One such restaurant owner, Kamal Kandel, of Yarsa Nepalese Cuisine, received a notice demanding that he make dramatic changes, such as removing the roof from his parklet and adding a 3-foot emergency access gap within two weeks, the paper reported.
He was provided with a lengthy booklet detailing all the requirements, but little explanation was provided for some of the changes.
"It's very upsetting news. We're in a bad time right now, and outdoor seating helps a lot," he told the paper. The changes might force him to tear down his parklet and start over, which is too expensive for him to do at the moment.
But according to Breed’s statement, "No one is being fined or forced to change their parklet right now, except in a small handful of extreme cases for significant life safety or disability access issues," the statement read. "We've got time. We will be accommodating, but we also have to meet basic life safety and accessibility standards."
Breed's office did not respond to KCBS Radio’s request for comment at the time of publication.
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