Al Fresco Dining Program

Parklet Pilot Program

On May 20, 2020, the City Council provided direction to the City Manager to take immediate action and implement an economic recovery plan that takes immediate action to respond to the needs of Morgan Hill’s business community and continues to execute strategies that support fiscal sustainability. Within the Economic Recovery Plan, City staff developed a “Morgan Hill Dine al Fresco” guide for restaurants with information about how to obtain a temporary encroachment permit for City-owned/regulated sidewalks and streets from the City and amend necessary permits from the County Health Department and Alcohol Beverage Control (ABC). This allowed restaurants to meet physical distancing requirements by expanding their footprint outdoors onto private outdoor spaces or City’s public Right-of-Way, like sidewalks or on street parking spaces. The Morgan Hill Al Fresco Program was extended in late 2021 and is scheduled to expire on December 31, 2022.

In 2018, the City received requests for the creation of a parklet program from two downtown restaurants and letters of support for a parklet partner program from the Morgan Hill Restaurant Group and the Downtown Association. City Council directed staff to implement a number of improvements along Monterey Road between Main Street and Dunne Avenue, as part of the Complete Streets Pilot Project. Among this list of improvements, the City Council directed staff to develop a Parklet Program to provide additional activation of the street. The resulting “Parklet Pilot Program” was approved for a two-year trial period, with the opportunity for parklet operators to extend an additional two years. During the May 20, 2020 City Council meeting, the Parklet Pilot Program was extended another three years to expire on December 31, 2023.