Uptown Planners to review proposed extension of sidewalk café, residents’ concerns
By Lee Schoenbart | SDUN Reporter
After receiving a letter from the City of San Diego regarding an assessment of a local café’s proposal to create a sidewalk patio extending onto University Avenue, some Uptown residents and businesses are concerned.
The proposal, which would extend the Gossip Grill’s front sidewalk area to the edge of its property line, is particularly distressing residents of Uptown Court condominiums, on the east side of Normal Street, across from the restaurant, said Antoine Hanna, an Uptown Court board member. “The main concern that people have in this building is the late night noise, because [it] travels into the area and into the building above,” he said.
“Their concern is noise after 10 p.m.” Hanna, who is also the owner of Salon Antoine, at 3717 Normal St., noted, however, that his own apprehension about the proposed extension is less with noise than with parking.
“The issue here,…for me, is the parking after 5 p.m. I’ve been here for 11 years and never had any problems,” said Hanna, whose business stays open until 8 p.m. “Now, after 5 p.m. we do have a challenge.”
Hanna also said that drunken patrons from Gossip Grill leave a mess in the parking lot beside his salon.
“I know they’re trying very hard, and they send somebody to walk around to clean around the parking. But still there’s a lot of residue in the morning on the street next to the salon, with trash and people throwing up and stuff like that,” Hanna said.
However, Leo Wilson, chair of Uptown Planners, said sidewalk cafés increase the pedestrian feel of the neighborhood. That’s part of living in a community that’s walkable. The controversy has [usually]
been leaving enough sidewalk that people can walk on without having to go through an obstacle.
“The city requires a six-foot clearance; however, there can be an application for deviation from that …if there’s a finding that it won’t result in congestion,” Wilson said.
Shaw, who also owns Urban Mo’s and Baja Betty’s, said Gossip Grill’s proposal is in compliance with the requirements, and Wilson noted that Hanna’s concerns are more of a code enforcement issue than an issue related to the permit process. Wilson added, however, that Uptown Planners listens to all public comment regardless of its nature and attempts to address any issues that arise.
“We’ve looked at several outdoor cafés, and I think the board has approved all of them…because [they]…help the urban experience. But you’re going to be concerned if there’s too much noise for neighbors, and so there might be some recommendations to mitigate [disturbances].”
“You could argue that an outdoor café might be noisy, which then, you would talk about hours of operation. But as far as having an outdoor café, I think the Uptown community plan calls for these to be encouraged as part of the urban experience.”
Nevertheless, Hanna said he expects Uptown Court residents to oppose the proposal when it comes before Uptown Planners.
“There are a lot of complaints. There are letters being sent [to the city],” he said. “I’ll tell you now, there’s going to be some letters regarding the noise about the update at Gossip Grill.”
Wilson said the earliest Gossip Grill’s proposal and community reaction to it will make it onto the Uptown Planner’s calendar is October.
