City Committee OK’s $1.5 Million Congressional Grant Supporting Outdoor Dining

Pasadena’s  Economic Development and Technology Committee moved to approve City staff recommendation proposing the City accept the $1.5 million congressional grant funding awarded to Pasadena for outdoor dining and provide directions on its use. 

In 2020, when restaurants were forced to close due to COVID-19, the City created a temporary emergency on-street dining initiative and rented the necessary equipment using City funds. 

This program ended in July 2022 and while the on-street dining program continues, there have been no additional City funds to support it.

In April 2022, in anticipation of the closing of the emergency initiative funding support, the City submitted a Community Project Funding request to Congressmember Judy Chu to continue its support of outdoor dining and the small business community. 

The grant was awarded to the city last June as a result of a request of  Chu. 

Staff recommends that the majority of the funding be used for pass-through grants and contractual activities including awards to businesses to install semi-permanent and permanent on-street dining structures, parklets and parking lot dining structures; awards to businesses for small-scale semi-permanent and permanent facade improvements; awards to nonprofit community partners for program outreach, business assistance and program design advisory participation and contracts for third-party architectural and design services. 

The City has up to a five-year term to expend the funds. 

As per staff report, grant applicants must have a business that is located in Pasadena.

Preference will be given to independently owned businesses. Churches, schools, colleges, universities, government buildings and non-profits are not eligible. 

The City anticipates opening the funding opportunity to businesses in the spring of 2024. 

“Bringing this to the full City Council with great comments from business leaders in this room would be helpful in guiding the discussion and helping staff understand exactly how we can benefit our restaurant and also our local businesses,” said Chair and Councilmember Tyron Hampton. 

“I love the grant program. I like the idea. I would encourage you to be generous with what the cap is because it’s probably more important to make a few great impacts than to do a bunch of tiny things,” said councilmember Jason Lyon.

“Outdoor dining really makes taking kids out to eat a lot easier. There are a lot of restaurants I wouldn’t even bother to go to with kids but now it’s more casual, more friendly so it’s just, it’s very helpful for families,” said Councilmember Jess Rivas. It’s great to see that it is a permanent part of our dining in the city so I’m glad we are supporting that.”