Restaurants ask to make outdoor dining area permanent

DOWNEY – After the pandemic forced restaurants to begin serving customers outdoors, at least one Downey restaurant plaza is seeking permission to make its outdoor dining space permanent.

Representatives for The Commons at Gallatin Road are seeking a conditional use permit to convert seven parking spaces into permanent outdoor seating.

The space would be renovated with a wooden plank deck, drought tolerant landscaping, lighting and bollards to match features from the existing plaza.

The Planning Commission will consider the request Wednesday.

City officials issued the commercial center an outdoor dining permit on July 29, 2020, when restaurants statewide were forced to close their indoor space due to the pandemic.

Converting the outdoor space into a permanent dining area would result in a loss of seven parking spaces but the plaza has a surplus of 42 stalls, city officials wrote in a report.

The plaza is home to Poached Neighborhood Kitchen, Coffee Bean, and Paper Pizza, which is currently closed.