With a special events permit, a collection of eateries and retail establishments along Avenida de la Playa have been permitted to run temporary outdoor dining areas since the COVID shutdown in 2020.
The City of San Diego issued the permission, and it ended on Saturday.
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In order to maintain the road closure between El Paseo Grande and Calle de la Plata Street, the La Jolla Shores Business Association led talks with the City. Short-term agreements and applications for a special events permit to close the street throughout the day and into the evening have been in place for the last five years. Only overnight was the street open.
It made it possible for people to return and begin eating there. The association member and owner of La Jolla Kayak, Sharon Luscomb, stated, “It worked well to get everything back and rolling during that time, and it’s kind of evolved ever since.”
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Business owners bargained with the city for a long-term solution as the most recent special events permit’s expiration date approached.
The application for a right-of-way permit was authorized by the City of San Diego Development Services Department on Thursday. With that authorization, the blocked section of street dining area becomes a permanent pedestrian promenade.
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The action indicates that the permit does not need to be renewed or expire.
Phil Wise, a longtime La Jollan who initiated the street closure effort in 2020, stated, “The promenade is the most important thing about the promenade, and the right of way permit allows us to have one.”
Additionally, 11 parking places that were removed must be replaced by company owners. Both aesthetic upgrades and ADA safety enhancements must be made. They promise to. All of that is expected to cost at least $500,000.
Although the association has funds on hand, it has begun to collect donations in order to raise the extra money that is required.
The neighborhood’s residents have voiced their displeasure with the lack of parking and the litter in the streets. Since the 1970s, Margo Schwab has resided in The Shores. She continued to have doubts about the association’s claims.
I’m worried about the lost parking, yes. They claim to have something set aside to take its place. “I give them forty days to deliver,” Schwab remarked jokingly.
