Council Backs Off From Downtown Streateries, Contrary to Leader Misreporting

Council Backs Off From Downtown Streateries, Contrary to Leader Misreporting

by | May 5, 2022 | General

PT Free Press is expediting publication of this council report in hopes of minimizing community confusion arising from inaccurate Leader reporting that PT City Council OK’s long-term streateries program. The opposite actually took place, as can be seen by viewing the May 2 meeting.

Here follows my emailed response to The Leader and city staff:
 

I attended the Monday, May 2 city council meeting and took notes of the streateries deliberations, so was astounded by the Leader’s May 4 article “PT City Council OK’s long-term streateries program” saying “The Port Townsend City Council voted Monday to unanimously approve an ordinance establishing outdoor dining areas – open-air, tent-link structures located outside existing dining spots – as a long-term part of the downtown and Uptown aesthetics.”

The Leader appears to have gotten the story completely backwards, with no mention of the actual discussions and decisions that in fact took place Monday night.

Instead, my notes show that following nearly unanimous negative public comment and prolonged council discussion of whether to table the permanent streateries ordinance, the council sketched out 5 amendments (including removing downtown streateries) for staff to refine and bring back as a third reading of the ordinance for the council to consider at their next meeting. In no way were long-term streateries unanimously approved at the May 2 meeting.

Can staff confirm my understanding of what was decided Monday regarding permanent streateries? If so, I hope the Leader will start making prominent corrections.

Today’s Leader story about streateries feels like a repeat performance of its April 20 reporting that, “During the city council’s Monday, April 18 business meeting, councilmembers voted to make the streateries part of a long-term plan for downtown Port Townsend and Uptown.”

But Councilor Ben Thomas corrected the Leader in an April 24 online comment that “Last Monday the City Council only voted to amend language on the ordinance that will be up for a vote on May 2. This article makes it sound like we voted to make the streateries permanent. We did not.”

 

So for the second meeting in a row, The Leader completely misrepresented the decisions made by the Port Townsend City Council regarding streateries. Rather than okaying the program, the council spent much of its May 2 meeting reconsidering permanent streateries in thoughtful response to a tidal wave of near-unanimous negative public comment.

Ben Thomas kicked off council discussion by expressing that streateries seem to have gone from being a good thing to a touchstone for public process concerns, since a lot of people came out of the survey not feeling they were heard. The pushback was significant enough for him to move to table the ordinance for permanent streateries until a permanent parking plan could be developed.

Monica MickHager seconded, having grave doubts before last meeting related to the city not having moved on a parking management plan for 20 years. She’s thinking about alternatives like sidewalk cafes or restaurants with space in the back, given that downtown is just two streets with limited space between cliff and water.

Owen Rowe appreciated the public input and concurred that tabling the whole thing makes sense and was worth discussing. Riffing on putting the cart (streateries) before the horse (parking), he noted the argument that streateries don’t connect to our Victorian heritage, when sidewalks were mud with carts and horses so no one wanted to eat on the streets back then.

Libby Wennstrom agreed that a parking study should have come first, but was concerned that tabling now would just kick the same questions down the road, leaving us with multiple years of tents in the interim. Aislinn Diamanti was likewise inclined to let the few businesses wanting to invest in streateries move ahead with them at least uptown, but maybe removing downtown ones.

Mayor David Faber spoke about how before tonight’s meeting, he’d thought the council could still move forward with this program, taking responsibility that originally he (not staff) had wanted to fast-track streateries because he’d heard nothing but positive feedback about them so didn’t want to push this off. But now hearing every single public comment but one expressing massive frustration against the streatery program, he’s trying to give space to those opinions by maybe going forward with just uptown streateries at this time, or delaying permanent streateries until parking enforcement improves.

The council discussed pros & cons of tabling the ordinance versus amending it so that no streateries are allowed in the downtown historic district at this time, eventually coalescing on the latter approach, after which Thomas withdrew his motion to table. The council proceeded to brainstorm draft language for 5 amendments to address every point under discussion, which staff was encouraged to tweak as needed.

Rowe moved to approve staff bringing back a third reading of the ordinance with amendments to various paragraphs as discussed, Faber seconded, and the motion carried unanimously.

Since permanent streateries would not be approved this meeting, the next issue was the imminent expiration of temporary streatery authorization. Wennstrom noted that temporary streateries combine the worst of both worlds, since they’re ugly and sit on the street surface instead of platforms, while still negatively affecting other businesses and parking; Thomas said he was more worried about permanence.

MickHager moved to approve a resolution extending the special event authorizing temporary streateries, waiving special use fees, which carried unanimously.

Permanent streateries in the downtown are off the table now. The city council will revisit an ordinance allowing permanent streateries uptown and in other business districts at its upcoming May 16 meeting.