Dining out may mean dining outside in San Jose if city leaders approve a proposal Tuesday to allow more outdoor seating areas to expand into street parking.
The idea would apply to downtown San Jose and anywhere else the city could identify areas that would be safe for al-fresco dining.
The goal is to help ease the pain for restaurants, which may lose up to half of their interior seating because of mandatory social distancing requirements.
The Santa Clara County Public Health department would have to sign off on the move, but the proposal already has support from the city’s business organizations and restaurant owners like Jorge Sanchez.
“That’s what we need from our city government,” said Sanchez, owner of Chacho’s restaurant. “We need them to help get the ball rolling.”
San Mateo also is considering more outdoor seating, perhaps closing two streets to allow restaurants to serve customers outside. And Berkeley leaders are set to vote on al fresco dining on June 2.
The cities would need the federal government to allow restaurants and bars to serve alcohol outside.
The San Jose City Council is expected to vote on the proposal during its 1:30 p.m. Tuesday session.
Source: NBC Bay Area