Parklets, the expansion of restaurant seating onto street parking spots whose popularity skyrocketed during the pandemic, are here to stay.

But after the city of Bend raised the application and renewal fees required to operate them, some business owners are chafing over the cost.

In their most basic form, parklets can be a few tables and chairs set up along a parking spot, hemmed in by large traffic barriers. At their most elaborate, they can feature small gardens, brightly colored seating arrangements reminiscent of modern art, outdoor heating and community artwork.

When the pandemic shuttered restaurants, the opportunity to expand outdoor seating helped keep businesses afloat, both in Bend and in cities across the country. In downtown Bend, there are 12 restaurants, breweries and cafes that offer the small outdoor seating patios, and business owners praise their popularity.

At the beginning of the fiscal year, the city of Bend increased the price of new parklet applications from $205 to $1,000. For those business owners that already have a parklet, their renewal fee will increase by either $145 or $595, depending on whether they’ve remodeled their parklet and require a new city inspection.

Like many other business owners, Trevor Kalberg began offering a parklet outside of Sidelines Sports Bar & Grill during the pandemic.

During peak football season, the bar becomes so crowded that it’s common for Sidelines to turn away upwards of 50 people a night, Kalberg said. And while the outdoor seating is rarely used in the winter, it’s helped to expand the bar’s capacity. The parklet can host dozens of people in the spring and summer months, Kalberg said.

“It’s a good, friendly spot to have your dogs,” Kalberg said.

Dogs aren’t allowed inside restaurants unless they are service animals, but the parklets and other outdoor seating are exceptions to the rule.

The Bend Community & Economic Development Department raised fees for other sectors of the community as well, including marijuana businesses and short-term rental licenses. The revenue from the fees is meant to fund local economic development organizations and cover rising administrative overhead costs.

San Simon is a cocktail bar tucked away in NW Tin Pan Alley in downtown Bend. Its bohemian decor and candlelit atmosphere makes for a more intimate experience than Sidelines, but just like its neighbor down the street, San Simon benefits greatly from its parklet.

Because the bar is in an alleyway that is larger than a single parking spot and can be readily closed off to traffic, the business is able to take advantage of the additional outdoor space more than other restaurants and bars in downtown Bend. San Simon has both traditional outdoor seating next to gas fireplaces and small, private outdoor booths with walls and ceilings.

“It’s roughly doubled our capacity”, said Taylor Daniels, an employee at San Simon.

The cold winter weather hasn’t tempered demand for the outdoor seating, either. The outdoor fireplaces help keep customers warm, said Daniels, and the locals know to dress for the cold.

The city of Bend allows for only 5% of all on-street parking spaces in downtown Bend for parklet use, and of the 60 parking spaces that the city has made available for parklets, around 40% of them are in use. Depending on its size, a parklet can occupy multiple parking spaces, and it costs $60 per month per parking space for business owners.

And while the parklets are appreciated by most, they are not without detractors.

“We have a few business owners downtown who don’t necessarily enjoy the parklets taking up parking spaces that are near their businesses. They think that (the parking spaces) would be more beneficial for customers to get close access to their business,” said Lorelei Williams, the senior program manager at the city of Bend’s licensing division.

For Kalberg, the cost of the parklet permit is well worth the money. To lease three parking spaces for around half of a year costs him $900, notwithstanding the annual permit fees.

While the initial investment needed to start a parklet may seem large, said Williams, the parklet may be more cost effective than relocating to a larger business location or expanding square footage through construction.

“I love it out there. But I mean, I think there should be some sort of cap on (what the city) can charge,” Kalberg said.