Among the items on the Austin City Council鈥檚 work session this morning was allowing Royal Blue Grocery to convert two parking spaces outside its doors on Congress Avenue into a patio.
Or is it more of a 鈥減arklet?鈥�
鈥淚f you google 鈥榩arklets,鈥� you鈥檒l find a number of examples from around the country,鈥� said council member Chris Riley.
Parklets are prevalent in San Francisco. The city鈥檚 Planning Department has loads of information online pertaining to , resources for , and a about parklets.
But 鈥渢hat鈥檚 a somewhat different situation,鈥� Riley noted.
The San Francisco guidelines state 鈥渁 parklet is a public space that can be used by everyone: neighbors, residents of San Francisco and tourists. It is not private property, and it is not limited to customers of the surrounding businesses.鈥�
However, the council resolution characterizes the pilot program as 鈥渁n extension of retail use鈥� and a 鈥渟treet patio.鈥� And this being a pilot, questions persist.
One area of discussion concerned the impact the patio would have on neighboring businesses. Another questioned the effect of removing on-street parking on Congress. Chris Riley noted that with the rerouting of Capital Metro鈥檚 airport shuttle from Seventh St., additional parking had opened up 鈥� so even with the conversion, the area would experience a gain in parking spaces.
Most council members voiced support for the pilot program, which they will vote on at their meeting.
Below, check out a Flickr slideshow of San Francisco鈥檚 numerous parklets.
