Eat On Street? Palm Springs Will Try Out Pilot Program, Closing Part Of Palm Canyon Drive Downtown

It’s not like we are counting, but including Tuesday, August 25th, 2020, there are 28 days left in the summer of 2020.  Autumn arrives at 6:30 in the morning on Tuesday, September 22nd, 2020.

But the City of Palm Springs is certainly counting, noting the “fall season just around the corner and the promise of cooler temperatures”.

With that in mind, the City Council in Palm Springs has kicked off a pilot program called “al fresco dining”, where you can literally eat out on the street.

Of course, due to government mandate during the Covid-19 pandemic, you cannot eat inside your favorite restaurant, and there’s no word on when you might be able to again, or if your favorite restaurant will even be in business by the time the mandate is lifted.

So the City Council is set to close Palm Canyon Drive between Baristo Road and Tahquitz Canyon Way and let restaurants set up tables and chairs on the street.

That could help restaurants in that area. Restaurants that are not in the closure area still have an option to expand outdoor dining on sidewalks if they get a temporary land use permit from the city.

Parking lots are being looked at as possible areas to expand dining as well.

For more information about outdoor dining and applying for a temporary land use permit, visit www.palmspringsca.gov/alfresco.

For now, at least, if you are planning any outdoor dining adventures, on a patio, a sidewalk, the street, or your own back porch, you will have to deal with the sweltering summer heat.

Photo from Alpha Media USA Portland OR