Just a few weeks ago the owner of Chula Vista Brewery was ordered to take down his parklet and questioned why his neighbors could keep theirs. Now he got his parklet back.
Owner Timothy Parker filed a formal claim against the City of Chula Vista with the help of the People’s Association of Justice Advocates (PAJA) and lawyer Cliff Dover.
“The city of Chula Vista has granted Timothy Parker and the Chula Vista Brewery a new parklet space and today we have a lot to be proud of in that regard,” PAJA president Shane Harris said Wednesday at a news conference.
It was considered a win for everyone involved, he said.
The city is also giving Parker a permit for an outdoor space to complement his new food truck.
“What we plan on doing and moving forward is just going to be an awesome addition to the brewery and I have to thank everyone involved for helping me do this,” Parker said.
The National Black Contractors Association already has plans to relocate plants in the sidewalk planters and create a handicapped-accessible deck in front of the brewery that will add up to 30 additional seats.
Building this outdoor space turns what could have been a tragedy of injustice into a showpiece of justice, said Abdur Rahim Hameed, the president of the National Black Contractors Association.
“This will restore opportunities for this business to sustain its economic sustainability," he said. "And one of the things that we are so proud to do is that we’re developing or working with the architects and the owners to design something that’s ecstatically enhancing to this community.”
The brewery is also getting $15,000 in COVID-19 relief funds from a city grant program to help local businesses build parklets.
