EL CAJONEL CAJON — El Cajon businesses that have had a tough time drawing customers — or even staying open since the start of COVID-19 — got some good news last week.
The City Council agreed to extend through December 2022 the relaxation of certain zoning codes for restaurants and other businesses.
The easing of the standards is aimed at helping restaurants, salons, barbershops, personal fitness centers and other businesses that suffered economically during the shutdown. Many of those businesses took to using outdoor areas such as parking lots during the pandemic.
The city also will continue to allow businesses to keep temporary signs that inform the public that they are open. And El Cajon will also keep waiving its WHAT ARE THEY WAIVING? THE NEED TO GET A PERMIT? no-fee temporary use permit to outdoor businesses whose indoor operations were limited or prohibited due to public health orders.
The City Council was initially asked to extend the relaxing of the zoning code standards through June 2022, because they were set to expire this December. But the council said it wanted to extend the length of time, so that businesses would have more time to recoup their losses.
“Just because the economy reopened doesn’t mean these businesses are still in good financial positions,” City Council member Phil Ortiz said.
He said some businesses have had to close their doors on certain days of the week because of a combination of fewer people going out to eat and a shortage of workers.
“A lot of businesses right now are really on the ropes,” City Council member Gary Kendrick said. “They lost a lot of business during the height of COVID. They put in a lot of money on heaters and tents. I would like to see us do this for a couple of years.”
Kendrick said he had talked to several restaurant owners and some itted that it is hard to keep employees. He said the owners of Hacienda Casa Blanca are having a surge in people coming, especially on weekends, and they told him they need to keep their outside areas to serve the growing clientele.
With “a lot of people still concerned about COVID,” the outdoor dining areas have grown in popularity, Kendrick said, so it was the least the city could do to help restaurants continue to thrive.
“And the more money the businesses make, the more we get for police, fire, paramedics… the things we really need in this city,” Kendrick added.
