JACKSON, Wyo. — The COVID-era policy of allowing restaurants to build parklets in the public right-of-way is on the way to becoming a town ordinance.
On Monday, the Jackson Town Council voted to approve the first reading of Ordinance K, which creates a permit and outlines the rules for parklets. The Council discussed the details of the ordinance during their March 20 workshop.
Local restaurants will be able to apply for an encroachment permit for the use of three parking spaces adjacent to the restaurant, to erect a parklet, which is defined in the ordinance as “a small public gathering space, utilizing one or more on-street parking spaces that combine elements such as seating, landscaping, shade and/or lighting.”
The ordinance also designates that when the businesses using parklets are not open, the parklets must be open to the general public “for their enjoyment.” The ordinance states that all parklets must include signage indicating the hours of private operation and that the parklets are open to the public otherwise.
Permits will cost $3,500 per summer season and applicants can apply for a minimum of one year or a maximum of three years. The parklet season will run from April 30 through October 30 with no prorated permit options.
According to the ordinance, a bond will be set by the town for each permit, to cover any right-of-way damage that might occur.
Parklets were created amid the COVID-19 pandemic in the summer of 2020 to offer restaurants the opportunity to expand seating outside, especially when there were capacity limits for dine-in customers.
In the summer of 2020, 15 businesses created parklets, in 2021 20 parklets were approved by the town and in 2022, eight parklets were approved.
The ordinance will be read a second and third time for approval by the Council.
