Attachment 7 - Public Comment recieved after 11am Monday April 19ATTACHMENT 7
From: Andrea Romano <andrea@centonovelosgatos.com>
Sent: Monday, April 19, 2021 1:52 PM
To: Monica Renn <mrenn@losgatosca.gov>
Subject: Re: Parklets & Econ Recovery at Town Council Tomorrow!
Hi Monica. I would like to share some comments regarding the semi permanent parklets. The addition
of those parklets has been a wonderful improvement for the town. I can not tell you how many guests
we've had who have commented on their appearance and how wonderful it is to be able to sit outside.
We really appreciate the opportunity to install one and with Covid the timing could not have been more
perfect. It saved our business. We thank the Town for the quick and seamless process of permit review
and approval.
One of the challenges we are all dealing with is 'weather' proofing them during extreme heat and wind
and cold and rain. I understand the town had originally required that only umbrellas or shades be used for overhead cover. Now that we've had some experience with actual application of umbrellas we are
discovering a couple of issues. First, it's difficult to provide full coverage during the rainy season. They
are dangerous in high wind, which frankly I didn't realize how bad it truly got until we started using
umbrellas. They take off in the wind and it's a little scary. They block the front of our stores and block
visibility. We also have had guests squabble over sharing the coverage. The thought of sitting outside in
the sun is wonderful until you are sweating, stuck to your chair and your chilled wine becomes
lukewarm very quickly. Everyone ultimately requests to be under cover. I have had a corrugated flat
roof installed on my parklet. It is all metal and has been structurally welded to withstand wind and
extreme conditions. I had the fire department review it and they liked the solution and in fact have
been recommending it to others who are using tents with heaters. Our solution is not flammable which
of course they support. Finally I'd like to assert that it's ultimately more curb appealing than the various
other tents, shades and covers I've seen others using. It provides a much cleaner, streamlined look to
the outdoor space. We'd like to continue to use that space during all seasons. Having guests sit outside
has added a nice buzz to the downtown. As long as we can keep them comfortable they will continue to
sit outside all year round.
Thank you again for all of your support.
Andrea
Andrea Romano
Owner