Open Sesame gets permanent parklet approval; decision on The Win~Dow outdoor dining postponed • Long Beach Business Journal

Belmont Shore is poised to get its second permanent outdoor dining parklet in as many weeks after Open Sesame, the popular Lebanese establishment on Second Street, had its plans approved by the city’s zoning administrator Monday.

The restaurant plans to replace two parking spaces with a 256-square-foot parklet that would seat 17 people.

The city’s approval comes shortly after the Planning Commission allowed a permanent parklet to move forward outside Legends Restaurant and Sports Bar, which is about a block away from Open Sesame, by denying a resident’s appeal to block its construction.

Similar to the Legends space, Open Sesame will have to post signage stating that the parklet is a public space and keep it open to everyone, regardless of whether they’re purchasing food or drinks from the restaurant. The owners will also have to replace the revenue lost from the two metered spaces going away and will be subject to an annual review to keep the parklet.

The parklet faced opposition from some of the same residents who appealed to the Planning Commission to stop the Legends parklet from being approved. Julie Dean, the president of the Belmont Shore Resident Association, again cited the over 600 signatures she and others gathered from people opposing parklets in the area because they require the removal of parking spaces from an area that’s already parking-impacted and because they could cause issues for pedestrians on the area’s sidewalks.

“They recognize that the density of our neighborhood is not conducive to parklets,” Dean said of the residents who signed on.

She pointed to the city’s assessment of available parking in the area that included city lots at the beach, which are about three blocks away from the restaurants on Second Street, and said it was “irrational for most of the public,” including the elderly, those with families and others with disabilities.

Alexis Oropeza, the city’s zoning administrator, recognized the loss of parking spaces but said it would be replaced with public space, noting that street parking is only used by private vehicle owners.

“Studies have shown that as parking spaces become a little more inconvenient, then people will find other modes of transportation,” Oropeza said during Monday’s hearing.

A second proposal to add outdoor seating at the new The Win~Dow location at the western end of the Second Street corridor, meanwhile, was continued to an Aug. 28 hearing over concerns about how its proposed dining furniture would be kept out of the public right of way.

The Win~Dow, which has locations in Silver Lake and Venice, is replacing the former Archibald’s location at the corner of Second Street and Quincey Avenue. Its plan proposes adding 32 seats along the perimeter of the building, which would be a mix of stools in front of fixed counters and small cafe tables.

A few residents opposed a proposed rose mural that they said looked too similar to the corporate logo for the operator of The Win~Dow, which they said would violate the city’s policy on not allowing advertising.

Jeff Goodman, one of the co-owners of The Win~Dow, explained that the rose is not copyrighted and is a spinoff of a mosaic that was inside its first location in Venice before they opened that location.

“We’ve allowed different artists to interpret that rose and this is the latest interpretation,” Goodman said, adding that it was a piece of art and not their logo.

However, a lack of clarity on how the business would keep its furniture from impeding pedestrians along Quincey pushed approval of its permit to later this month.

Oropeza said she was concerned about the seating along the Quincey side of the building, which has a narrow sidewalk.

“The concern really is people will reconfigure and it will impact the walkway,” Oropeza said of the tables and chairs.

Goodman agreed to find a way to fix the furniture so that it can’t be moved, but how the business will do that and if the city approves of its plan will have to wait until the zoning administrator’s next meeting.

Belmont Shore is poised to get its second permanent outdoor dining parklet in as many weeks after Open Sesame, the popular Lebanese establishment on Second Street, had its plans approved by the city’s zoning administrator Monday.

The proposed parklet would replace two spaces outside of Open Sesame with a 256-square-foot parklet that would seat 17 people. Earlier this month, the Planning Commission denied a resident appeal to block the construction of a permanent parklet outside Legends Restaurant and Sports Bar, which is about a block away from Open Sesame.

Similar to the Legends space, Open Sesame will have to post signage stating that the parklet is a public space and keep it open to everyone, regardless if they’re purchasing food or drinks from the restaurant. The owners will also have to replace the revenue lost from the two metered spaces going away and will be subject to an annual review to keep the parklet.

The parklet faced opposition from some of the same residents who appealed to the Planning Commission to stop the Legends parklet from being approved. Julie Dean, the president of the Belmont Shore Resident Association, again cited the over 600 signatures she and others gathered from people opposing parklets in the area because of parking spaces being removed from a parking-impacted area and potential issues for pedestrians because of congestion on the area’s sidewalks.

“They recognize that the density of our neighborhood is not conducive to parklets,” Dean said of the residents who signed on.

She pointed to the city’s assessment of available parking in the area that included city lots at the beach, which are about three blocks away from the restaurants on Second Street, and said it was “irrational for most of the public,” including the elderly, those with families and others with disabilities.

Alexis Oropeza, the city’s zoning administrator, recognized the loss of parking spaces but said it would be replaced with public space, noting that street parking is only used by private vehicle owners.

“Studies have shown that as parking spaces become a little more inconvenient then people will find other modes of transportation,” Oropeza said during Monday’s hearing.

A rendering of the proposed seating outside of The Win-Dow at the corner of Second Street and Quincey Avenue. Photo courtesy city of Long Beach

A second proposal to add outdoor seating at the new The Win-Dow location at the western end of the Second Street corridor was continued to an Aug. 28 hearing over concerns about how its proposed dining furniture would be kept out of the public right of way.

The Win-Dow, which has locations in Silver Lake and Venice, is replacing the former Archibald’s location at the corner of Second Street and Quincey Avenue. Its plan proposes adding 32 seats along the perimeter of the building, which would be a mix of stools in front of fixed counters and small cafe tables.

A few residents opposed a proposed rose mural that they said looked too similar to the corporate logo for the operator of The Win-Dow, which they said would violate the city’s policy on not allowing advertising.

Jeff Goodman, one of the co-owners of The Win-Dow, explained that the rose is not copyrighted and is a spinoff of a mosaic that was inside its first location in Venice before they opened that location.

“We’ve allowed different artists to interpret that rose and this is the latest interpretation, Goodman said, adding that it was a piece of art and not their logo.

However, a lack of clarity on how the business would keep its furniture from impeding pedestrians along Quincey pushed approval of its permit to later this month.

Oropeza said she was concerned about the seating along the Quincey side of the building, which has a narrow sidewalk.

“The concern really is people will reconfigure and it will impact the walkway,” Oropeza said of the tables and chairs.

Goodman agreed to find a way to fix the furniture so that it can’t be moved but how the business will do that and if the city approves of its plan will have to wait until the zoning administrator’s next meeting.

Jason Ruiz covers City Hall and politics for the Long Beach Post. Reach him at [email protected] or @JasonRuiz_LB on Twitter.