Old Town Temecula Sidewalk Dining, Shopping Extended Until 2022

TEMECULA, CA — Dining and shopping in Old Town Temecula will be allowed outdoors for another year, despite the statewide lifting of COVID-19 restrictions.

The Temecula City Council voted Tuesday to continue allowing businesses in Old Town Temecula to extend their operations onto the sidewalk. Businesses that have been granted an expansion permit will now be allowed to continue outdoors until July 1, 2022.

The council confirmed the resolution on a 4-0 vote with no discussion; councilmember James Stewart was absent.

While the permitting cost for the Temporary Expanded Dining/Retail Program is zero to businesses, the city's tab is $3,000 per month, which pays for barricade rentals, according to city documents.

The sidewalk program is intended to alleviate the dampening effect that COVID-19 closures and restrictions have had on dining and retail stores. In March 2020, many of Old Town Temecula’s businesses were forced to close, move operations outdoors, or reduce operating capacity to minimize the spread of COVID-19.

The city council approved the program in June 2020, closing certain streets to vehicle traffic and allowing stores and restaurants to expand onto the sidewalk and street.

Eventually, the city reopened streets but continued to allow expanded dining and retail on the sidewalk. The council then voted to extend the program from December 31, 2020, until July 1, 2021.

On June 15, California removed restrictions that closed restaurants and retailers, but many businesses are still hurting.

“Despite the improvements in the rate and extent of the COVID-19 virus, businesses and restaurants are still recovering from the economic impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic and will take some time to recover,” according to city documents.

Some pandemic changes like outdoor dining may be here to stay. Earlier this month, Gov. Gavin Newsom announced outdoor dining expansions could remain through the end of the year, and many small businesses have embraced the plan.

In Los Angeles, an outdoor dining program may become permanent.

“It’s going to bring in a lot of people because, I want to say 90 percent of our customers, they don’t want to dine indoors anymore. They want to be outdoors,” restauranteur DK Marikan told CalMatters following LA's decision last month to move forward on permanent outdoor dining. “We would love to see this be permanent. I pray they do it.”