By Julie BUTCHER

On Tuesday night, the Glendale City Council voted to approve a compromise to continue into October the city’s al fresco dining program along Honolulu Avenue in Montrose, reversing the council’s previous decision to end the outdoor dining program on Labor Day.

According to assistant director of Community Development Bradley Calvert, “City staff and the Montrose Shopping Park Association (MSPA) agreed that an improved version of the al fresco program would create the best compromise. This would include an improved prototype design as a long-term solution, modifying the size of the existing installations that would restore some parking spaces while preserving the al fresco opportunities, and conducting a long-term urban design plan for Honolulu Avenue. Council will discuss these recommendations tomorrow evening and, if approved, the existing program would stay in place through early October and the long-term solutions being deployed in November.”

Calvert recounted that on May 25 the council voted to end the Montrose program after Labor Day and to separate discussion of the program from similar efforts underway for Downtown Glendale, notwithstanding the overall popularity of efforts to support outdoor dining based on various surveys conducted by the city.

According to Calvert, city staff engaged with the MSPA and various suggestions (extending sidewalks, modifying existing seating and parking areas) appeared to not be feasible based on both time and funds. A walking tour “gave everyone an opportunity to envision a long-term program,” Calvert explained, and MSPA and city staff determined that reduced-sized parklets would be a suitable compromise.

“Elongated parklets and a long-term strategy,” Calvert said. “We could restore half the parking and keep the same seating … and improve the quality of what the parklets look like, with weather protection, for example.”

Councilmember Dan Brotman said that he was glad the item was back at council.

“I wasn’t comfortable with the original decision to just rip out al fresco dining up there. I thought we could probably find a win-win, so I’m glad staff and the MSPA got together and did that walking tour. I know we’re going to try to keep as much parking as possible, but some will be sacrificed – we may want to look at parking rates – we want to keep spaces available for customers to run in to pick up something. Maybe we could do something like Pasadena does and return some of that revenue back into Honolulu Avenue,” Brotman offered.

“I usually don’t like flip-flopping on issues,” Councilmember Ara Najarian began. “I was very much intent on letting the voices of Montrose decide what they wanted to do with the al fresco dining. I did receive – this was back in May – a very concerned call from a member of the MSPA who told me that we had to get rid of it. The businesses don’t like it and so, perhaps my fault, I believed that was a universally held belief. It was not, as we’ve since received calls and emails and petitions from many, many people – tens if not hundreds – indicating that they wanted to keep al fresco dining.”

“This was after our decision was made. So, again, I just want to do what the folks in Montrose – not just the business owners, but the patrons and residents in the immediate area – want to do. I’ve no objection to extending this to October but it can’t just be Bradley and the MSPA. Cast a wider net. Include the homeowners’ associations nearby. My only goal is this.”

“In our positions, they say you can’t please all the people all the time,” Mayor Paula Devine opined. “I think this alternative comes pretty darn close. Thanks to the MSPA and their board for working with us and with staff; I’m excited about an urban design plan, looking into the future.”

The vote to approve the compromise passed unanimously.