Restaurant owner shocked to find outside dining parklet taken down after missing removal deadline

CARPINTERIA, Calif. – The owner of the Nutbelly pizzeria and deli restaurant in Carpinteria came to work Tuesday to find her outside patio area torn down but doesn't know who authorized it.

The city had a removal deadline that just passed but Jana Gonzalez thought she would have a conversation about an extension. Events such as birthday parties and receptions were already scheduled, along with solid summertime business that she said is badly needed both inside and out.

As of this morning she was picking up the splintered wood in tears and discarding it. Gonzalez was out after midnight trying to clean the area of the debris. She said it if remains she would be fined by the city.

The city was asked for a clarification on the parklet policy and this removal. It has some history. The council actually extended the COVID-19 permission for the parklets over a year ago. Earlier this year the city council picked June 30 a the final hard removal deadline. It also had preferred replacement parklet business owners could buy in to and pay about $80. a month.

Carpinteria had information posted on line pertaining to the city outdoor business permit program and timeline.

Other city groups have been trying to make the transition understandable to all businesses in what's called the "T" where Linden Ave. and Carpinteria Avenue cross. And there was nearly full compliance.

Lorraine McIntire is the Downtown "T" business advisory board Chair. She says, "the city has been working on this for over a year, and they've been very proactive. They've come to the downtown T business advisory board meetings with prototypes, with designs. They've done presentations at city council meetings."

The current plan like the one Esau's restaurant is using, is for the city to buy an approved well designed parklet and the business will pay just 80 dollars a month for it, instead of thousand of dollars to order one.

Nutbelly is in line for one but there's a gap between the deadline to get the old one out and the new one arriving.

It's going to be a month or two for the new one which only adds to the pain for the business owner, which could use all the outside area for seating in the heart of summer.

The city says sidewalk tables are already permitted at the address and some were out today.

Another business, Brass Bird on Carpinteria Avenue is waiting for its parklet too and three other business applications are in.

If Nutbelly was given any more time, McIntire said, "there was a little bit of a concern about favoritism and about how we tell somebody that they had a hard deadline of June 30th, but yet they look across the street, they see somebody that's still has one.  I know the city was very worried about the optics of that. And so I think that played into it."

The city says it has carried the costs for the new parklets on order, and some of the Nutbelly cleanup.  It just wanted safe, approved outside dining because  many business and community leaders say it works.

"And the other businesses that had the parklets up during, you know, the Covid era that wanted to keep it up, they saw their business boomed because of it. And we all love outdoor eating, right. Especially when the weather's nice," said McIntire.

For now, the old Nutbelly parking space is back to parking. In September it is expected to be a parklet  for dining again.

In the meantime, the city staff is meeting with business leaders to talk about what happened and pro business solutions from City Hall going forward.