The sidewalk outside of Bella Saratoga in the Village will be expanded to include more outdoor dining following the approval of a project in Saratoga’s downtown.
The Saratoga City Council voted unanimously on March 19 to establish a partnership with Bella Saratoga to expand the restaurant’s outdoor seating area. Vice Mayor Chuck Page helmed the idea, saying that he wanted to replicate the vibrancy he saw in the Village are when parklets were popular during the pandemic.
Instead of parklets, Page wants to open up the sidewalks for restaurants and storefronts to expand their seating options or use it for other purposes.
“When we had the parklets out here during COVID, I saw an energy in the Village that we haven’t had for a long, long time, if ever, in my existence in Saratoga,” Page said. “So I knew that there could be more life, there could be more vibrancy, but how do you get there?”
The extended sidewalk will replace two parking spots in front of the restaurant, with space for pedestrians behind it. Based on the designs in city documents, six to 10 tables can be added for outdoor dining. City manager Matt Morley said the approved design also includes a wrought iron fence lining the perimeter for safety purposes, pedestrian separation and minimal maintenance.
Bella Saratoga owner Clyde Zaya said the sidewalk expansion could bring in more people to Saratoga’s downtown and benefit surrounding businesses.
“I think it’s going to help the town, maybe bring in more traffic to other businesses, not just mine,” Zaya said.
The project would cost almost $125,000. Page said the owner of the Bella Saratoga building will be in charge of funding the project, as the city doesn’t have enough money to fund it.
Construction for the project has yet to begin; the city will need to receive an encroachment permit from Caltrans since they will need to build into the state’s right-of-way. According to the staff report, it is expected to take three months for the city to receive the permit.
The plan was generally met with support from nearby business owners and workers. Rodrigo Navarro, a manager at Big Basin Burger Bar, said the sidewalk expansion would give people more space so they feel more comfortable, but he supported the addition of a fence to make sure people are safe from the traffic.
Victor Hong, owner of Hong’s Gourmet, said the sidewalk expansion would be a good improvement but expressed concern about the possibility of reduced parking due to the several projects going on around the Village.
According to city staff, there are currently around 614 parking spaces in the downtown area, including those in the parking districts and on the street. However, as a result of the Village Water Quality Improvement Project, 37 spaces will be lost. Additionally, the California Daylighting Law, which prevents parking within 20 feet of a crosswalk or 15 feet if a bulbout is present, will reduce on-street parking by five spaces. This would leave the Village with around 572 parking spaces, and the number may decrease if more businesses decide to extend their storefronts to attract more customers.
Page and city staff said that restriping parking lots could reduce the number of parking spaces lost. Page added that customers could also use rideshare apps or alternative modes of transportation that don’t require parking to get to the Village.
He added that other businesses seem interested in sidewalk extensions, but this launch will allow people to see how it might work.
“I think the interest is there. I think that, in order to really see the benefit, you need to have a few of them installed, and then you start to see how the vision is working,” Page said.