CHULA VISTA, Calif. — The rules for outdoor dining patios are going to be changing soon in Chula Vista, and some businesses on Third Avenue aren't happy about the news.
The City Manager sent letters to businesses in the area to let them know they have until July 30, 2024 to take down their outdoor dining parklets.
“At the peak of our summer holiday season, they want us to dismantle the thing that’s keeping some of these businesses afloat, keeping us in the black, keeping our customers happy, you know,” said Dr. Gonzalo Quintero, co-owner of Vogue Tavern and president of the Downtown Chula Vista Association.
“I wasn’t angry, I wasn’t frustrated, I was disappointed. I was disappointed that they wouldn’t even exchange a dialogue with us,” said Dr. Quintero.
Starting in July 2020, the City began issuing temporary permits to allow businesses to expand outdoors on public property. Now, 4 years later, most permits are set to expire June 30, but the City gave an extension to July 30, and they've even gone a step beyond that.
To support summer activities, they're setting a final deadline of Labor Day on September 2. Any outdoor parklets remaining after that will be taken down by the City.
“These are things we were taught in 2020, mask up, keep our social distance, eat outside, and now they’re trying to change the rules again. No, no more outside dining, only dining inside," said Dr. Quintero. "What are we supposed to do? How are we supposed to service people?”
He started an online petition gathering hundreds of signatures and told CBS 8 that a lot of work and planning and money went into these outdoor patio areas.
“They were designed by architects, the plans were approved by the City, they were inspected by the City, so these are not haphazard creations," said Dr. Quintero. "These are $15,000 to $25,000 dollar investments.”
Down the street at Los Cuates Seafood & bar, owner Cesar Corona just put more money into his parklet, and he’s disappointed too.
“That’s another bad thing because I just finished improving the benches to make it really nice for summertime,” said Corona.
One of the main issues is parking. Some patio areas can take up about 4 spaces. In a statement from the City, a spokesperson told CBS 8, “The parklets are negatively impacting more businesses than they are helping because not all can benefit from the temporary permits. With the parklets on public land, the City must prioritize equitable access.”
Dr. Quintero is hoping to have a productive dialogue with elected leaders about the future of outdoor dining spaces.
“We want to have a back and forth, we don’t just want to be told what to do," said Dr. Quintero. "We want to see how we can keep this alfresco dining, how we can keep these public spaces.”
WATCH RELATED: Chula Vista Animal Center creates 'Bunny Garden' to help ease shelter overcrowding