sette luna
Sette Luna wants to build a parklet at its 219 Ferry St. restaurant in Easton. (Lehighvalleylive.com file photo)
Josh Palmer wants Sette Luna Tuscan Trattoria to be the first restaurant in Easton with a parklet.
He envisions an outdoor deck built across two parking spaces in front of his Ferry Street restaurant. He hopes the temporary installation would accommodate four to five more tables, bike racks, flower boxes and lounge space in the summer months.
"People wait and wait for those outdoor tables and this would allow us to serve the customers better," Palmer says.
But his project didn't get the green light from Easton City Council this week.
Parklets were pioneered on the West Coast and are prevalent in larger cities, Palmer says. But without any precedent to point to here, officials aren't sure how to handle it.
Mayor Sal Panto Jr. says while it didn't get final approval Wednesday, the idea is still on the table.
"I got the impression city council would be favorable to it," Panto says, but notes there are details that need to be worked out.
Council was chiefly concerned with public safety, and where you can put a parklet versus where you can't, noting several busy thoroughfares throughout the city's neighborhoods that could pose problems if parklets popped up.
Palmer says the small win is that broaching the idea to council and other officials at least got people talking about the possibility.
What's a parklet?
Here's what Sette Luna Tuscan Trattoria owner Josh Palmer is envisioning with the parklet. (Courtesy Photo)
Palmer got inspiration from local architect William Dohe.
Dohe, one of the principals of R+D Architecture in Easton, shared news on parklets on Facebook and it sparked Palmer's interest.
"The concept is to replace parking with public realm space," Dohe says, adding that it's a popular idea in pedestrian-friendly San Francisco, Grand Rapids, Michigan, and Philadelphia.
Dohe calls himself an urbanist drawn to pedestrian-friendly city spaces.
"I'm very much interested in improving the city and making it a better place to live," says the chairman of Easton's Historic District Commission and the Environmental Advisory Council.
He sees parklets - or streateries as they're called in Seattle - as combining the private, semi-public and commercial realms.
Cities with parklets have specific guidelines specifying materials and dimensions, and an established license or application process, Dohe says.
Panto says while the draft Palmer had designed for this specific parklet looked fine, there isn't a legal basis for Easton.
"There's nothing in our ordinance that allows a parklet," Panto says.
Easton's Historic District Commission recommended the parklet idea to council, Palmer says. Palmer and Dohe have also run the parklet proposal past several other city departments including planning, zoning, parking, codes and the city's administrator and engineer.
For the project to continue, Panto says city council and the city's solicitor would need to add specific guidelines on parklets into an ordinance. The city would also need to figure out how to account for the revenue loss for the two parking meters stationed at curbside now outside the restaurant at 219 Ferry St.
Why Ferry Street?
Palmer says that while a parklet may not work at his other restaurant, Maxim's 22 Bistro & Brasserie, because of its busy Northampton Street location, it could work for Sette Luna.
"I feel like Ferry Street, because it's a smaller street, is more conducive to it than a main thoroughfare," Palmer says.
Dohe's office sits on Ferry Street. Despite the fact that his customers would normally use the Ferry Street parking spots, he's in favor of the parklet.
The new intermodal center on South Third Street will add parking and those in the garage won't worry about the meter expiring, Dohe says.
Panto says the new garage is expected to open June 15. It will reportedly have 350 parking spaces.
What about snow?
The parklet wouldn't be in place all year.
"It wouldn't be in the way for plowing," Dohe says.
He explains the concept isn't that different from asking the city to temporarily bag meters to prevent parking during an event or construction.
The temporary deck would only be in place during the warmer months.
"The longer we wait for approval, the longer it delays us," Palmer says.
Dohe says a parklet could take anywhere from a week to a month to construct, depending on the design. Palmer says it could cost $5,000 to $10,000. Dohe thinks it could be double that.
For now, Palmer is waiting to see what happens. For the time being, he said, he'll focus his energy on "trying to engage community support through social media."
Panto plans to meet with his staff to figure out a solution.
"My goal is to have something before council by the June 10 meeting," Panto says.
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Kelly Huth may be reached at khuth@lehighvalleylive.com. Follow her on twitter @LVLfood. Find Lehigh Valley Food on Facebook.