Manhattan Beach City Council To Discuss Expanding Outdoor Dining

MANHATTAN BEACH, CA — On the heels of new statewide requirements banning indoor dining in restaurants, the Manhattan Beach City Council is holding a special meeting to discuss expanding outdoor dining in the city. The online meeting will take place on Friday, July 3 beginning at 10 a.m.

Yesterday's statewide ban on indoor dining threw a wrench into the Manhattan Beach dining scene. Restaurants in the city had reopened and many had gained permission from the city to offer special outdoor dining in the public-right-of-way, including parking spaces and sidewalks, to help them increase the numbers of diners they could accommodate. COVID-19 restrictions required restaurants to scale back the numbers of dining tables inside their establishments for social distancing purposes.

Now, with no indoor dining allowed, City Council will look at whether or not expansion into additional public-right-of-way areas should be allowed. Currently, about 12 restaurants have created outdoor dining spaces in parking spots in downtown Manhattan Beach and another three or more have added sidewalk dining in North Manhattan Beach and downtown MB.

Comments on tomorrow's meeting can be sent via:

• eComment at http://www.citymb.info/ecomment;
• email to cityclerk@citymb.info; or
• telephone message recorded at (310) 802-5030.

City Council meetings can be viewed online via Zoom or the city's webcast. To join the Zoom meeting via the internet, the direct URL is https://comb.zoom.us/j/98365682559 and the Meeting ID is 983-6568-2559. To make a comment during the meeting, you use the "raise hand" emoji through Zoom at the time the mayor invites the public to provide comments.

You can also join the Zoom city council meeting via phone conference and you will only hear voices via this method. The phone number is (669) 900-6833 and the Meeting ID is 983-6568-2559. During the meeting you will need to enter *9 on the phone's dial pad at the time the mayor invites the public to provide comments.

When the city council meeting is live, it can be seen via Webcast. The agenda for the July 3 meeting, which begins at 10 a.m., is online.