The City of Orlando’s planning and transportation staff introduced a temporary use permit last summer to create a Temporary Parklet Program. These parklets were to be placed inside on-street parking spaces within the Downtown CRA, the goal being to help restaurants struggling during the pandemic with indoor seating restrictions by creating new and additional outdoor seating options for their patrons.
Examples of parklets in Orlando can be found in Thornton Park along Washington Street.
The parklets take advantage of potential City of Orlando funds to support the parklet’s cost.
A newly created Parklet Manual (Download the PDF here) by NAK Design Strategies (Website) helps restaurants and landlords attain these parklets easier by explaining the City permit process, showing how to draw a sample parklet site plan, how to source all the materials at local/online vendors, and what the estimated costs will be.
The manual also shows them how many new customers an eight-seat parklet can serve daily and how much new estimated revenue could come from that.
Thornton Park currently has several parklets along Washington Street. These parklets help create added outdoor seating for restaurants in the area.