Martinez seeks to expand outdoor dining downtown

MARTINEZ -- The outdoor dining trend sweeping the Bay Area could reach downtown Martinez as early as this summer.

Currently, places to eat or drink in dedicated spaces on the street are limited to a smattering of tables outside Starbucks and the brick patios in the 500 block of Main Street.

The idea for a "flex space" program emerged last year from a series of workshops designed to develop a vision for a thriving downtown. At a public meeting last week, consultant Susan Moeller, who led the workshops, said a growing number of cities are promoting outdoor dining as a way to draw more people and activity to neglected city centers.

The draft policy would allow downtown Martinez restaurants, ice cream parlors, delis, and wine bars and pubs that serve food to use up to two parking spots for outdoor dining space. Both the landlord and the business owner would have to submit an application for the space.

Under the proposal, the city would remove the platforms in November and replace them at the end of the rainy season, typically at the beginning of April. Given the fickle Bay Area weather -- this winter, of course, was unseasonably dry -- several people at the meeting advocated leaving the dining platforms in place year round.

Sonja Snavely, who has owned clothing store Noodles for Kids on Main Street for 20 years, said that in Paris and in her native Sweden restaurants use heat lamps and enclose outdoor dining spaces during

Dave Scola, Martinez public works director, said seasonal use of the platforms would minimize the possibility of flooding.

"Taking them out those five months is foolproof," he said. "Is it necessary? Even I'm willing to say we need to take another look at it."

Four interlocking panels forming a platform 7 feet wide and 16 feet long will take up a single parking space.

City staffers have recommended using brushed aluminum panels, but a variety of finishes are available -- including vinyl and carpet -- so business owners could customize their space. Each platform must have a guardrail along the street side and at each end and may include an optional railing on the sidewalk side. In each block, a maximum of four spaces on each side of the street could be used for dining.

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Martinez seeks to expand outdoor dining downtown