The Danville Town Offices at 500 La Gonda Way. (Photo courtesy Town of Danville)
The Danville Town Council is poised to vote on a proposed ordinance that would extend the town’s outdoor dining program for an additional two years following a previous discussion on the topic in which restaurant owners spoke about their continued economic challenges following the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The current ordinance, set to expire in 2025, was adopted by the council in June 2021 to formalize the process for outdoor dining areas and parklets that were previously allowed under temporary land use permits in the early days of the pandemic.
The provisions of the current ordinance allow for restaurants to establish dining areas in the public right of way, subject to size, aesthetics, traffic safety, and building code compliance, for an annual fee determined by how many parking spaces the areas encompass. It also allows restaurants to serve alcohol outdoors within established areas.
The council previously discussed the next steps for the outdoor dining program during a public hearing at their Oct. 8 meeting, during which they considered whether to change or extend the outdoor dining ordinance, or to let it expire next year.
“At that study session, after hearing from restaurant owners about ongoing economic concerns, the Council directed Town staff to return with an ordinance extending the provisions,” development services director Diane Friedmann wrote in a staff report prepared for the upcoming meeting.
The proposed ordinance up for a vote at the upcoming council meeting would leave the existing ordinance as is, with the exception of extending it for an additional two years through 2027.
“This term was used based on comments from the Town Council during the October 8, 2024 study session but it should be noted that no formal recommendation on the length of the extension was made,” Friedmann wrote. “The Council can select a different term as part of a motion to introduce the ordinance.”
The council is set to meet at 5 p.m. on Wednesday (Nov. 6), which is rescheduled from the typical Tuesday meeting time. The agenda is available here.
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