Montebello, CA Special Events & Permits: Parklets (2026)

Section V of the Downtown Montebello Specific Plan's Parks and Open Space standards, at Montebello Municipal Code Section 17.04.110 (Downtown Code Section 4.3D.2), defines a parklet as a sidewalk extension into one or more on-street parking spaces that adds public space and amenities along the street. The location standard keeps parklets away from intersections: a parklet must sit at least one parking space away from any intersection or street corner, and it can only go on streets with a posted speed limit of 25 miles per hour or less.

Design standards require a platform or deck installed flush with the sidewalk, unless the operator chooses a terraced design, and the structure and any parklet furniture, heaters, or landscaping must stop at the sidewalk line rather than spill onto it. Because a parklet sits in the roadway, it needs sturdy traffic barriers on all three sides exposed to vehicle travel, each between 36 and 42 inches tall. Drainage is engineered into the design too: a channel at least 3 inches tall and 2 feet wide must run the full length of the parklet along the curb so stormwater keeps flowing to the gutter instead of pooling.

Every parklet design and its construction are subject to Public Works Department approval, and the design has to stay flexible enough to allow the city to access roadway or utility infrastructure beneath or beside it; Public Works can close a parklet to use whenever it needs to perform maintenance on that adjacent infrastructure.