The Benefits of Outdoor Dining
The Shared Spaces program has kept your favorite restaurants and bars alive and your neighbors employed. Outdoor dining has safely transformed our streets into communities.
GrowSF knows we need to keep this program alive: Shared Spaces should be permanent. San Francisco has incredible food and incredible weather. Let's celebrate that!
What are the benefits of the shared spaces program?
It's kept your favorite restaurants alive during COVID-19- It's kept your friends and neighbors employed during a challenging economic year
- It's transformed our streets into communities
- It generates tax revenue for the city and attracts more tourist income
November 18, 2022
Thank you for sending so many emails to the Alcoholic Beverage Control board voicing your concern on the proposed regulations. They are being revised as a result. We don't know when the next version will be out, but we'll keep you posted.
October 28, 2022
Outdoor Dining in San Francisco was made permanent thanks to your demands! But there are more hurdles to overcome as more red tape is put up by both the city and the state. The regulations may be well-intentioned, but they place unreasonable burdens upon the businesses operating the parklets that could make it prohibitive to continue operating them.
What Happened
While our Supervisors would like you to think they all support outdoor dining and that the legislation passed unanimously, that was only after a deeply divided vote on a critical amendment.
What needs to happen
| What | When | Details |
|---|---|---|
| Land Use Committee Meeting | Jun 10, 2021 | View Recap |
| Supervisor Aaron Peskin introduces amendment to outdoor dining legislation | Jun 12, 2021 | View Document |
| upcomingFull Board of Supervisors Vote | Aug 12, 2021 | Call In |
| upcomingPublic Comment Period | Sep 12, 2021 | Take Action |
About This Project
The Problem
The pandemic has taken a huge toll on our city. When covid hit, restaurants and bars were forced to close their doors for months! But Mayor Breed acted fast and launched the Shared Spaces program, which allowed for outdoor dining in parking spaces, sidewalks, and in private lots.
While most emergency Shared Spaces permits have been extended until the end of the year, we need to do more to make sure this program is permanent and works for everyone. Mayor Breed has introduced legislation for this, but it still needs to go through a long political process.
And during this process, there will be opposition. Making the program permanent is obviously good for everyone, but a vocal minority of people in San Francisco don't like change and don't like to have fun.
Making the program permanent will help our restaurants and bars get back on their feet, create thousands of jobs, and generate tax revenue for the city. Outdoor dining will also attract tourists who will support all businesses in the city.
Learn More
Who supports and who opposes this project?
Supporters
“Outdoor dining has been a lifeline for our restaurants and has made our neighborhoods more vibrant. I support making the Shared Spaces program permanent with reasonable regulations that work for everyone.”
“The pandemic showed us that our streets can be more than just places for cars. Permanent outdoor dining creates jobs, supports small businesses, and builds community.”
Undecided
“I want to ensure any outdoor dining program balances the needs of restaurants with neighborhood concerns about parking and accessibility.”
“We need to carefully consider how outdoor dining impacts different neighborhoods and ensure proper oversight of the program.”
Opponents
“While I support restaurants, I have concerns about privatizing public space and the impact on affordable parking for residents.”