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From the COVID-19 pandemic comes the parklet.
Savoy Cafe & Deli in Santa Barbara has taken over two parking spots on West Figueroa Street and replaced them with three tables.
Owners Paul and Kathy Shields rushed to install the street dining area.
Paul Shields said he spoke with Bob Stout, president of the Downtown Organization, about opening a parklet. He researched parklets on the Internet, then purchased materials and built the wooden platform and picket fence on Tuesday. The parklet extends 6 feet and stretches along the width of the Savoy storefront.
“It came out really nice,” Shields said. “It’s created this buzz. People walk by and say, ‘This is great.’”
Shields said Savoy was down about 65 percent in sales in the weeks after the pandemic, but the restaurant temporarily pivoted to selling grocery items, which bumped up sales. He said the city rushed to allow the parklet idea to help small businesses.
Santa Barbara a week ago decided to close State Street to cars to allow restaurants to expand their dining onto the sidewalks. The move was designed to allow restaurants to comply with social distancing rules, which say tables must be at least 6 feet apart.
On streets that cross the nine blocks of State Street that are closed, restaurants can place tables on the sidewalk. Most of the sidewalks, however, are too narrow to accommodate tables and still allow people to walk, so the city allowed the parklet in the street.
Shields said the jury is still out on whether closing State Street should be permanent.
“I don’t know. If it is good for businesses, I think it is great,” he said. “I am really hoping it’s good for businesses, and if that’s good, great.”
Webinar for Liquor Licenses
Anthony Wagner, public information officer for the City of Santa Barbara, held a webinar Wednesday with 99 restaurants that were interested in serving liquor on the sidewalk or in parklets.
Wagner walked representatives through the 120-page document and answered their questions. He offered to drive applications to the Alcohol Beverage Control office in Ventura to expedite approval.
The next day, he drove 45 applications to the office, along with the $100 application fee. Some of the restaurants have already received approval to start serving liquor, Wagner said.
Wagner said there was so much interest in the ways to obtain a liquor license that people from Santa Maria, Santa Ynez and other cities were inquiring in Santa Barbara about how to expand their liquor licenses.
Parking Garages Open and Free for Now
The city announced this week that it will begin ticketing downtown patrons and employees who exceed the time limit on city streets.
Still, parking garages and lots are open and free to the public.
The city has not yet set a date for when it will start charging again for garages and parking lots, but it still might be a ways away.
“A date has not been set to open garages — they will start charging according to being able to consistently maintain staffing levels — we’ve not charged because of that,” Wagner said.
Rob Lowe’s Former House for Sale
Timothy Di Prizito and Joyce Rey, Coldwell Banker Global Luxury Property specialists affiliated with the Beverly Hills office of Coldwell Banker Realty, have listed actor Rob Lowe’s former home for $22.5 million. The English country estate, designed by William McCay, is at 771 Garden Lane in Montecito.
The property has seven bedrooms and 13 bathrooms throughout the compound’s approximately 5.5 acres. It has ocean and mountain views.
“Welcome to the highest echelon of elegance where one could write their story for generations to come,” Di Prizito said in a news release. “An enchanting estate to inspire adventurers of all ages, this legacy property embodies the epitome of Montecito and Southern California.”
The main estate encompasses a foyer with high ceiling, a living room with a fireplace and doors to the backyard, a formal dining room with glass walls and a fireplace, a family room with a fireplace, a breakfast room, an office, a theater, and a solarium overlooking lush landscaping, according to a news release. There’s also a workshop, a fire-safe room, fur and linen rooms as well as an eight-car garage.
The master suite boasts a fireplace, a terrace, a shoe closet on its own level, a bathroom with a standalone tub, mirrored walls and French doors to a balcony as well as a secondary bathroom with a slab-marble shower and mirrored closets, the news release stated.
A one-bedroom guesthouse offers a kitchen, a living room and a dining room with a gym annex and a lower-level “home school” facility that the owners call the “Science Room.”
To view the estate, contact Di Prizito at 310.266.2777 or tdipri@gmail.com or Rey at 310.285.7529 or joyce@joycerey.com.
— Noozhawk staff writer Joshua Molina can be reached at jmolina@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.
