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Some parklets remain noncompliant with ADA requirements
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However, “if the removal notices are upheld by city council, and the businesses choose not to comply, the city will remove the facilities and bill the businesses for any associated costs,” Ms. Salas said. “We are hopeful that businesses will comply with the removal notices.”
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There are five more parklets that remain noncompliant with the ADA requirements, but they are not as far along in the inspection process, and will be receiving administrative citations and fines.
“We are working on the Notices of Administrative Citation for these businesses,” Ms. Salas said. “The citations will include a 14day compliance deadline.
“As we are still in the process of preparing the citation notices, I do not yet have a date for that deadline. The citation notices should go out in early May.”
One of these businesses is on State Street and did not submit an application for an Outdoor Business Facility License, now required for businesses with parklets on the Downtown Promenade, Ms. Salas said.
“Facilities without a license must be removed by the end of May.”
The city’s deadline for full ADA compliance was Dec. 1.
Showgrounds, 3400 Calle Real, Santa Barbara. For more information, see earlwarren.com/fair-and-expo. accessibility requirements for people with disabilities, in which case the parklets would remain in operation as long as they meet the new deadline.
Parklets located on the Downtown Promenade, including those on the 400 and 1300 blocks of State Street, also must meet stormwater runoff and design requirements.
The deadline for meeting the stormwater runoff requirements also was Dec. 1. The deadline for adhering to the new design requirements was Feb. 1.
The last time the city inspected to check on stormwater runoff requirements, they found two parklets remained noncompliant.
The last time they checked on design requirements, they found eight parklets remained noncompliant for “more significant” issues. “We expect to see minor issues resolved as businesses submit applications for license agreements (required by May 1),” Ms. Salas said.
The major design changes to State Street facilities include painting the parklets to match the approved color palette (dark grays, browns, and black); removal of lighting from trees and over sidewalks; removal of visible advertising, signs, logos, etc.; and removal of turf grass.
“We will be performing final inspections on these facilities at the same time as the Outdoor Business Facility License inspections, which are currently scheduled for the first two weeks of May,” she said.
“As it currently stands, we will conduct an onsite inspection of each facility to confirm compliance with all requirements and verify that the facility matches the specs as submitted with the application.
“License agreements will be signed with all facilities with approved applications,” she said. “Any outdoor business facility on the State Street Promenade which is not in full compliance with all requirements (design, stormwater, ADA, fire lane) will not receive a license and will be required to remove the outdoor business facility.”
Currently there are 92 parklets throughout the city. Staff say they have received 34 applications for licenses from businesses on lower State Street with existing parklets, and three from businesses who want to install new parklets. They expect to receive 10 more applications from businesses with existing parklets that had not yet submitted them by Tuesday. email: nhartsteinnewspress@gmail.com