Four years since setting up her first outdoor dining parklets, Jackie McCusker says the al fresco tables and chairs are still a “game-changer.”

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, the owner of Mama’s on the Half Shell and Nacho Mama’s in Canton counted on the parklets as a means of survival. When restrictions on restaurants eased, they became a way to expand seating capacity, as well as a selling point whenever the weather is nice.

“Our guests just can’t get enough of sitting outside,” McCusker said.

Her restaurants are among more than a dozen Baltimore businesses that have obtained permits to keep their pandemic-era parklets intact under the city’s curbside commercial program, which began last summer. A year later, the spaces have continued to be a boon for some dining spots — but with public health restrictions in the past, others see an evaporating need for additional open-air seats.

During the COVID shutdowns, the outdoor dining areas proliferated in parking spots and valet lanes, transforming the city’s streetscapes, particularly in bar and restaurant-heavy neighborhoods like Canton and Fells Point. Now, parklets are becoming scarcer throughout the city.“I think it served its purpose and it was just time to move on from it,” said Chris Amendola, the chef and owner at Foraged in Station North, who took his parklet down last year. “It created more hassle than it was really worth.”

“I think it served its purpose and it was just time to move on from it,” said Chris Amendola, the chef and owner at Foraged in Station North, who took his parklet down last year. “It created more hassle than it was really worth.”

Making policy for parklets

Parklets began as a temporary privilege to support struggling bars and restaurants during the pandemic. When they ended up being popular among diners and some business owners, city officials decided to craft a set of standards for the structures so they could stick around.

The resulting curbside commercial program, implemented last year, is a 13-page list of regulations that touches on safety, cleanliness, accessibility and basic aesthetics. It also sets fees for parklets, which were free during the height of the pandemic.

According to the DOT, 16 businesses had “fully executed” curbside commercial permits as of Aug. 1 — a fraction of the approximately 120 businesses that were issued temporary parklet permits during the pandemic. Others are in the process of applying and obtaining a license.

The program has so far raised $60,910 for the city, the transportation department said. Baltimore officials set up a progressive fee structure based on the average income of the neighborhood where a business is located: If it is above the city’s median income — $55,198 according to the U.S. census — the parklet fee is $10 per square foot. If the neighborhood’s average income is lower than the median, businesses are charged $5 a square foot.

So far, the DOT said, all of the curbside commercial applications have come from businesses in neighborhoods with an average income that’s higher than the city’s median.

The department also said it has removed three nonconforming parklets, though a spokesperson did not specify which businesses they belonged to.

Parklets vs. parking

Fells Point, a waterfront neighborhood known for its eating, drinking and shopping options, is home to a significant proportion of permitted parklets — and serves as a case study in the spectrum of reactions to curbside dining.

Parklets popped up throughout the neighborhood during the pandemic, and especially on Thames Street, right across from the harbor. Many remain. Businesses like Kooper’s Tavern and Slainte now count on sales from customers dining outside, said Samantha Hofherr, the director of operations for both restaurants and the president of Fells Point Main Street.

“We’re dependent on that business,” Hofherr said. “I’m a big believer in the transition to outdoor dining. I think people have grown accustomed to that.”

The parklets add 20 extra seats for Kooper’s and 28 for Slainte. Hofherr said the restaurants have had to adjust to meet the new standards of the curbside commercial program, adding a platform to meet the curb for accessibility and scaling back a parklet so it wasn’t longer than the restaurant’s facade.

“It’s definitely an expense that business owners need to weigh the pros and cons of,” she said.

A short stroll away on Broadway, Max’s Taphouse owner Gail Furman decided the cost of a parklet wasn’t worth it. During the pandemic, the beer emporium had two: one on Lancaster Street, and another on Broadway.

“During the pandemic they were fabulous,” Furman said. “They definitely helped businesses stay alive and they were dramatically needed, but I think they’ve worn out their welcome.”

Max’s still has about 30 outdoor chairs through a different permit. Sidewalk seating was common even before COVID, with restaurants paying a fee to set up outdoor tables. However, they were not previously allowed to occupy parking spaces.

Furman favors a return to the old system, where restaurants were limited to tables and chairs on the sidewalk. She’s heard from customers who have had to bail on a trip to her bar because they couldn’t find a place to park.

Nick Johnson, who owns the furniture store Su Casa on Lancaster Street, also lamented the squeeze that parklets put on parking. Convenience is key for his target audience, who might shop online if they feel that driving to Fells Point will be too much of a hassle.

“I think they make it tougher for people to visit the community,” he said.

Johnson thinks curbside dining should be allowed only during the warmer months, freeing up valuable parking spots at other times of the year. “You shouldn’t use the parklet as a placeholder,” he said.

But with more unseasonably warm days due to climate change, the outdoor dining offseason is shrinking. Hoffher said one of the best business days at Kooper’s and Slainte was a 60-degree afternoon in February.

Though Hoffher sees the benefits of parklets to the restaurant business, as a Fells Point leader she acknowledges the differing viewpoints.

“I think we, as a neighborhood, are still figuring it out,” Hoffher said. Like the past four years of ups and downs, “it’s just an ever-evolving thing.”