Goleta Restaurants Can Now Serve on Sidewalks
Expanded Seating Areas Also Include Private Parking Spaces
Restaurants in Goleta can now open into sidewalk and private parking areas, as long as the Public Health requirements for open-air dining are met and pedestrian and vehicle circulation remain intact. The state’s new physical-distancing requirements mean less seating indoors for all restaurants, and the Goleta City Council vote on June 2 allows businesses to expand their seating capacity outside.
The tables and chairs outdoors are being allowed without the usual permit process if they are in adjacent areas. But businesses expanding into a private parking lot must get a Temporary Use Area Expansion Permit from the city. Public Works will approve barriers that mark off the outdoor area. The self-certification process for restaurants to reopen with a COVID Prevention Plan are in California’s Dine-In Guide and also at the county’s RISE Guide, both of which are available here.
Questions can be brought to the Goleta Planning and Environmental Review Zoning Counter at (805) 961-7543. To support its businesses, Goleta has put together at its pandemic website, under the “Goleta to Go” subject line, a list of restaurants that are open.
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