LOS ANGELES — Sidewalk eating, a popular pastime in Seattle, is now the subject of a controversy in Madison Park.

The Ethan Stowell restaurant group uses a small plot of land for outdoor dining, although some neighbors say this is not the intended purpose of the space.

The public space known as Triangle Park is located at the intersection of 42nd Avenue and East Madison Street, next to Stowell’s restaurant How to Cook a Wolf.

Opponents of this land use argue that the public square is a community gathering place that was originally donated to the community of Madison Park.

The Stowell’s restaurant group applied for a permit about three years ago to permanently convert the space into an outdoor dining area, but the permitting process is still pending.

The comment period for this permit ended on Tuesday. Neighbors have created a website and urged others to protest the permit in writing so that the park remains a public space.

City records also show several violations regarding the restaurant group’s use of the premises.

The city issued two separate misdemeanor citations in September 2021 and December 2021 for an unlicensed weatherproof cafe built in a public space without a permit.

Then in 2023, the city filed charges against the restaurant group for building a structure without a permit and then applying for a permit that was granted for a smaller area than it had already built.

The back and forth between Ethan Stowell Restaurants and the city continued in April and May of this year, when the city accused the group of “failing to respond to the required corrections to the cafe’s building permit application.”

Numerous restaurants took advantage of the Safe Start era during the COVID pandemic and set up outdoor dining areas, but that program has been terminated and some now claim How to Cook a Wolf continues to operate without a permit.

Stowell responded to KOMO News’ request for an interview. This story will be updated when KOMO News receives a response.

KOMO News has also reached out to the City of Seattle to ask about next steps now that public comment on this permit has closed and we are still waiting for those details to be provided.