The future of Downtown parklets will be on the agenda when the Athens-Clarke County Commission meets later today.
Parklets came about in the summer of 2020 to create more areas for outdoor dining in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic. Under the program, downtown businesses could pay a fee and use some of the street parking spaces in front of their location for outdoor dining.
Mayor Kelly Girtz assigned the commission’s Government Operations Committee to take a look at the program in fall 2021 and again in March of this year.
The new ordinance spells out more details on what types of barriers should be used to separate parklets from the street. It also raises the fees significantly from $500 for two parking spaces to $1,500.
Commissioners are expected to vote on the measure at their meeting today. That meeting starts at 6:00 p.m.
