You can keep on dining outdoors

If you like dining outdoors, Tuesday’s meeting of the Garden Grove City Council had some good news for you.

The council voted 7-0 in favor of a six-month extension to the “Accessible Business Program” which has allowed restaurants and retail shops to conduct business outdoors, sometimes on sidewalks and streets.

Such operators need a permit from the city, and 124 of them have been issued. The program is to accommodate businesses – especially eateries – hard-hit by the coronavirus pandemic.

It has led to “al fresco” dining in many areas of the city, including the historic Main Street area in the downtown.

Also on Tuesday, the council voted 7-0 in favor of clearing the way for a Raising Cane’s chicken tender restaurant to be included as part of a planned unit development on the east side of Harbor Boulevard between Chapman Avenue and Twintree Lane. The overall project is slated to include a major hotel development.

Tuesday’s action was the first reading and introduction of the ordinance, which must come back to the city council at its next meeting for final approval.

The next regular meeting of the council is set for June 22.