After more than eight years in business Downtown, Diane Rukab is ready to be the first to try something different.
“We’re going into this blindly, but I’m OK with being the guinea pig,” she said of allowing The Brick Coffee House to be the site of the first long-term public parklet in the urban core.
It's scheduled to open Sept. 16, which is international “PARKing Day.”
That's when on-street parking spaces all over the world will be transformed into small public spaces for a few hours.
Downtown’s first permanent parklet is scheduled to be constructed along West Adams Street adjacent to the Brick’s outdoor seating area.
The cost — estimated by installation sponsor Downtown Vision Inc. at about $10,000 for construction, required permits and fees and liability insurance — will be covered with proceeds from the organization’s inaugural gala.
Rukab will operate the parklet and provide tables and chairs, which will be removed when the coffee shop is closed.
The Brick was chosen for the first installation because it would be an expansion of the existing business and it’s just half a block from Downtown Vision’s office, said Jennifer Hewitt-Apperson, director of district services.
“That space made sense because there’s already outdoor seating and it’s close to DVI, which will make it easy to monitor,” she said.
The Downtown Investment Authority has published a “Parklet Program Handbook” that specifies design and construction requirements as well as where a public parklet may not be installed.
Parklets will be considered within the Northbank boundaries of Downtown and on roads where the posted speed limit is 30 mph or less.
A parklet must be located at least one space from an intersection or driveway. It may not block a fire hydrant or utility cover and may not interfere with bus stops, taxi stands, loading zones or disabled parking.
Every ground-floor business that directly fronts a proposed parklet location must agree with the placement.
The Department of Public Works specifies how a parklet must be constructed.
The platform must be poured-in-place concrete comprising three pads with a buffer between the existing roadway, curb and platform for ease of removal.
A minimum 0.5-inch gap must be present between the platform and the curb for drainage.
A continuous 18-inch-high by 8-inch-wide vertical concrete curb must be installed on the platform on the three sides that do not face the sidewalk to provide a structural buffer for public safety along the street.
For privacy and safety, an enclosure 36-42 inches high must be installed along the sides of the platform that do not face the sidewalk.
“There’s quite a bit of safety. It will exceed national standards,” said Hewitt-Apperson.
Allowed materials include tube steel or cable railings, wood railing with horizontal boards or tube steel with perforated full screen panels.
A planter enclosure with low-maintenance native plants also is allowed.
Parklet rules must be posted at each installation and enforced by the sponsoring business, including no alcoholic beverages, loitering, panhandling, sleeping or swearing in the parklet.
In addition to construction cost, sponsors must pay a $120 per month fee to the city for use of the parking spaces.
Also required are all applicable building permits and a revocable permit and indemnification agreement with the city for use of right-of-way easement.
The first public parklet will be as much about education as amenity, Hewitt-Apperson said. “It’s hard to conceptualize unless you’ve seen one,” she said.
The Brick’s parklet is scheduled to debut Sept. 16, when 11 one-day parklets will be set up along Laura and West Adams streets and in The Elbow entertainment district.
To download the Parklet Program Handbook, go to dia.coj.net and search for “parklet.”
(904) 356-2466