Palm Springs City Council approves five-year extension for parklet program

Update 10/26/23

The Palm Springs City Council passed the resolution as part of the consent calendar. The motion passed unanimously.

Original Report 10/25/23

The Palm Springs City Council will consider a resolution on Thursday that will extend the city's parklet program for another five years through December 31, 2028.

On September 26, 2023, the City Council discussed a request for the continuation of the
parklet use, according to a staff report.

The accompanying resolution authorizes the extension of the parklet use and maintains the design guidelines and operational standards that were originally adopted by City Council in 2021.

As part of the discussion, Councilmembers suggested that it may be appropriate to allow
parklets as a permanent use, but additional study and considerations were necessary.

It was requested that a study be prepared to demonstrate the economic impact of parklets, and that consideration be given to altering the Palm Canyon Drive right-of-way to enhance the pedestrian realm, and in particular evaluating whether a traffic lane might be removed to expand the sidewalk zones.

The resolution includes a reference to these study items and provides a timeline of 12 months for staff to return these studies to City Council for review and consideration.

In the past, business owners in downtown Palm Springs have expressed support for the parklet program, as well as concerns over the impact on safety and parking.

"Its good for business owners. We get to extend the restaurant a little bit. We can bring more guests and we can seat more people outside," said Daniel Aldana, manager at Casa Blanca Restaurant on S. Palm Canyon Drive.

Watch News Channel 3 at 6:00 p.m. tonight for more on the story.