Restaurants and retailers can apply now to participate in Al Fresco Glendale, a temporary program created by the Glendale City Council that encourages outdoor dining and shopping in commercial hubs throughout the city. This announcement follows a decision on June 2, 2020 by the Glendale City Council to waive fees associated with the Al Fresco Glendale Program as a way to assist restaurants with the loss of potential indoor capacity due to COVID-19 public health orders.
Recent announcements by the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health allowing restaurants and retail establishments to re-open with limited capacity gave rise to the program. Al Fresco Glendale expands the current sidewalk dining and temporary certificate of occupancy permit to:
- Allow retail businesses to sell outdoors or in designated parklets, City-established locations in parking spaces.
- Waive the application fees for both the Sidewalk Dining and Temporary Certificate of Occupancy Permits for 90 days, effective June 9, 2020 to August 31, 2020.
- Allow for restaurants to offer outdoor dining in private parking lots
- Allow for the creation of 14 temporary parklets, which will permit outdoor dining, retail and alcohol service. Parklets are primarily located in Downtown Glendale and in Montrose.
The creation of the Al Fresco Glendale program is part of a more than $4 million economic recovery package approved by the Glendale City Council last month intended to provide relief to businesses impacted by COVID-19.
“It is still a long road to recovery for our business community, nearly 75 percent of which are considered small business,” Mayor Vrej Agajanian said. “It is the goal of the Glendale City Council to provide a variety of resources to assist all businesses impacted by this virus as we work towards a swift recovery.”
The Al Fresco Glendale program resulted from the efforts of the Business Recovery Task Force, a collaboration between the City and the local business community to develop solutions to common challenges businesses are because of COVID-19. The Al Fresco Program has been established to ensure businesses have the greatest ability to operate successfully through Phase 2 and 3 of the recovery process. Public health and safety will continue to be of the utmost importance as the Program is implemented.
Participating businesses must comply with all relevant ADA requirements as well as established re-opening protocols. For program guidelines and information please visit GlendaleCA.gov/alfresco or contact the City of Glendale Business Concierge at (818) 548-2005.