The Abridged version:
- The Davis City Council on Tuesday will vote on changes to the Downtown Dining Program Ordinance.
- The ordinance went into effect last year, establishing a process to consistently regulate outdoor dining in downtown.
- Three G Street businesses are in the program now, but staff said more time is needed to bring others into compliance.
After years of disjointed regulation, Davis leaders want more oversight over outdoor dining facilities downtown.
The Davis City Council on Tuesday will consider amendments to the city’s outdoor dining ordinance, which was approved at the end of 2024 to formalize the permitting process for businesses serving food or drinks outside in the public right-of-way. The changes would allow more time to comply for restaurants serving tables on sidewalks and patios.
Many of the existing structures came online under temporary use permits during the COVID-19 pandemic and do not necessarily comply with building regulations.
“The whole purpose of this is to provide transparency, less risk and a clear path forward to compliance,” said Davis principal planner Dara Dungworth during a planning commission meeting last month.
Sign Up for the Yolo County Newsletter
Stay in-the-know on all things Yolo! Weekly email with stories and insights from Yolo County reporter Daniel Hennessy.
But the rollout of the ordinance has proven complicated, spurring staff to request changes and an extension of the compliance deadline — which expired at the beginning of July — to December.
“This is a little tricky trying to convert people over,” Dungworth said. “It’s new for us; it’s new for our restaurants.”
So far, three businesses on G Street are participating in the program, but the majority of downtown businesses offering outdoor dining are not in compliance.
“We don’t want to put them, or ourselves, in a situation where they are out of compliance,” Dungworth said.
A lifeline for restaurants
During the pandemic, outdoor dining facilities were a lifeline for restaurants and other businesses in Davis. To support their survival, the city used a grab bag of permitting procedures for approval.
But as the years went on, staff worried that there were inconsistencies in how the facilities were being regulated. In 2024, they came up with the Downtown Outdoor Dining Program Ordinance.
“One program, the same way for every business to enter,” said assistant planner Samantha Bailey in an interview. “Overall, Davis is trying to make the program more streamlined.”
The ordinance requires businesses that want to operate an outdoor dining facility to submit a site plan and application to the city. Staff then review the plan for compliance with accessibility requirements, alcoholic beverage operating restrictions and building and fire code regulations.
Bailey said the city recognizes that the process can constitute an extra burden for downtown restaurants.
“It is an additional process that businesses have to go through,” she said.
But staff are working with individual owners in an effort to be accommodating to their needs while ensuring public safety and regulatory compliance.
Expanding beyond G Street
Woodstock’s Pizza, Red 88 and Temple Coffee Roasters all have outdoor areas that meet the requirements set forth in the ordinance.
Bailey said that having facilities like these “increases the vibrancy and atmosphere of downtown,” which brings more business and sales tax revenue to the city.
As it expands outside of G Street, part of which is closed off to vehicle traffic, the program will likely look different for other downtown businesses.
“It’s a very customized approach to each restaurateur,” Dungworth said.
