Downey considers whether to extend or retire outdoor dining

An outdoor eating area on Downey Avenue. (Photo by Eric Pierce)

DOWNEY — Downey officials are contemplating whether to extend or wind down the city’s outdoor dining program, which has allowed restaurants to serve customers outside during the pandemic. 

Downey launched the temporary program in June 2020 after the L.A. County Health Department reduced indoor occupancy limits. 

The City Council extended the outdoor dining program in August 2020 for an additional 180 days, or until the state lifted its limitations on indoor businesses, whichever came later. That came on June 11, 2021, when Gov. Gavin Newsom rescinded the state’s stay-at-home order, along with indoor restrictions that applied to restaurants. 

In Downey, 37 restaurants are currently utilizing the program to serve customers outdoors. Of those, 25 indicated they would like to continue and 12 plan to remove — or have already removed — their outdoor seating areas, according to a survey conducted by the city. 

“Some restaurants have expressed hesitation in removing the temporary outdoor dining areas due to concerns over the current reports of the impacts that different variants are causing, despite the current availability of vaccines,” deputy city manager Aldo Schindler wrote in a report to the City Council. 

District @ Downey, the association that represents Downtown Downey businesses, said in a letter that it supports extending the outdoor eating program but with modifications and only through the end of this year. 

Among those modifications is removing the k-rails on Downey Avenue from 3rd Street to Academy Jiu-Jitsu; removing the k-rails in front of the Avenue Theatre and Assistance League; reopening the parking lot at the Masonic Lodge; and removing the parklettes on 2nd Street due to their effect on traffic.

The City Council is scheduled to discuss the outdoor dining program at its meeting Tuesday.