By Julie BUTCHER

The design and funding for new parklets aimed at making al fresco dining permanent in the Montrose Shopping Park were both unanimously approved by the members of the Glendale City Council at an afternoon meeting on Tuesday.

“As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic and public health orders that severely restricted indoor dining, staff quickly mobilized to create outdoor dining, primarily by installing K-rails on a temporary basis,” City Manager Roubik Golanian recounted.

After the council indicated its interest in continuing the program, assistant director of Community Development Bradley Calvert explained, city staff worked with representatives of the Montrose Shopping Park Association to design five new parklets for Montrose dining using a prototype that can be “deployed as quickly as possible, while we’re working on an ongoing longer term strategy planning.”

Each parklet will take up two parking spaces, reducing the burden on parking from 33 spaces previously occupied to 10. Working with the MPSA’s task force, the renderings include the use of softer materials, green colors favored by the group, and include opportunities to incorporate overhead weather protection.

The council authorized $400,000 in unused Measure S COVID recovery funds and voted to implement fees of up to $10,568 per parklet per year, combining typical sidewalk dining fees and new offsets to expected parking meter revenue into the costs for merchants.

Corey Grijalva of Joselito’s (“in Montrose since 1981”) called in to support the plan.

“I’ve seen the design and it looks amazing,” he said. “It fits the aesthetic of Montrose to a t. Please approve the plan so patrons can once again enjoy al fresco dining in our fine city.”

He urged the council to consider reducing fees to be assessed.

Mayor Paula Devine said that she is “really pleased by the outcome of these discussions – thanks [to] Mr. Calvert for working with all of these groups; sometimes it’s not easy.”

“I think the design is gorgeous and I agree with Mr. Kassakhian: Let it look like this when they’re completed,” Mayor Devine said referring to the drawings of the proposed new outdoor dining parklets. “My hope is that retail and restaurants can be good neighbors.”

Of note on the council calendar for next week: an update on Rockhaven at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Oct. 26 when a report from the city’s Community Redevelopment Dept. seeks “next steps” from council.

At its evening meeting, the council heard a report on a proposed “environmentally preferable purchasing policy, to set a standard of sustainable and environmentally preferable procurement [that] demonstrate(s) the council’s commitment to environmental, economic and social stewardship.”

Next, the council authorized the release of an RFP [request for proposals] for a consultant to help update the city’s bicycle transportation plan, including advocating for the increased use of “Class IV” bike lanes. These protected bicycle lanes are separated from lanes of traffic by bollards, planter boxes or wheel stops, and are reportedly emerging as the preferred means of bicycle infrastructure.

Councilmember Ardy Kassakhian registered his support for updating the plan.

“It’d be great to see more casual riders in addition to the enthusiasts,” he said. “I shouldn’t have to take my life in my hands or risk becoming a hood ornament to choose the bicycle over the car to run an errand.”

Councilmember Dan Brotman objected to including streets painted with “sharrows,” indicating they should be shared with bicyclists as part of the city’s inventory of biking amenities.

“‘Sharrows!’ They shouldn’t even be considered bike infrastructure,” Brotman said, pushing to redraw the maps without these lanes “to show how little actual bike infrastructure we have – and how much work there is to be done.”

“This issue is near and dear to my heart,” Brotman commented. “I may be the only one who regularly bikes around the city and, in fact, recently got rid of my car, so I’m more and more dependent on the ability to ride safely. The focus needs to be on riders riding for utilitarian trips – we want a ‘mode shift;’ we want people coming out of their cars.”

They will only do that if they feel safe, Brotman noted. “Safety has to trump auto delays.”

“Every day I feel unsafe,” the councilmember concluded about riding his bicycle in Glendale.