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<br />City of Redwood City 1017 Middlefield Road, Redwood City, CA. 94063 Tel: 650-780-7000 www.redwoodcity.org
<br />After approval of the Program, businesses expressed concern that the two-month period between August
<br />25, 2022, and October 31, 2022, was not enough time to provide the required application information to
<br />enable them to receive the fee waiver. On November 14, 2022, the City Council extended the fee waivers
<br />through April 21, 2023, for businesses that applied to the Program on or before January 20, 2023, and
<br />received approval from the City by April 21, 2023. No businesses met the April 21, 2023, deadline for full
<br />permitting.
<br />From April 2023 through April 2024, several key staff members who were vital contributors to the Program
<br />left City employment. As a result, staff was unable to process applications in a timely manner. Since May
<br />2024, both staff and applicants have been working diligently to process and complete as many
<br />applications as possible. However, due to the time lost between April 2023 and April 2024, staff is
<br />recommending that the fee waiver be extended through September 30, 2024, for eligible businesses
<br />participating in the Program.
<br />The purpose of this staff report is twofold: 1) to recommend extending the fee waiver through September
<br />30, 2024, for eligible businesses, and 2) to propose a strategy for gaining compliance among businesses
<br />that are not adhering to the Program.
<br />ANALYSIS
<br />Extension of Fee Waiver for Eligible Outdoor Business Activity Permits
<br />At the April 15, 2024, City Council meeting, staff provided an update on Outdoor Business Activity
<br />permitting, noting that six of 47 applications (including two which were submitted after January 20, 2023)
<br />had been conditionally approved, but no Outdoor Business Activity Permits had been issued, nor had any
<br />of the accompanying license agreements been issued. At the time, the City Council expressed concern for
<br />the business owners who may have needed more support to get through the permitting process and
<br />instructed staff to work more closely with the business owners to help them.
<br />Since that meeting, ten (10) businesses have received their Outdoor Business Activity Permits and license
<br />agreements – six of which applied prior to the January 20, 2023, deadline, three of which applied between
<br />January 20, 2023, and April 2024; and one which applied in May 2024. Nine other businesses have license
<br />agreements pending or near completion. Eight additional businesses may now proceed with the permit
<br />process, owing to the changes to the program regarding property owner notification adopted on July 22,
<br />2024, and in effect as of August 22, 2024. In fact, one of these businesses has already executed their
<br />license agreement.
<br />In executing the first license agreements and working to get all pending applications processed, staff
<br />realized that the “use of space” fee waiver expired with no businesses permitted by the initial fee waiver
<br />deadline. There have been many businesses, as noted above, who have been engaging, but staff have
<br />observed that once some businesses receive the necessary approvals on their plans, they have trouble
<br />getting the requisite proof of insurance to move forward with executing the license agreement, even with
<br />one-on-one support from Engineering and Finance staff to provide guidance.
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