Thanks to all for your feedback; in short: - the property is City-owned, but the maintenance of same is left to the home owner. The City does not maintain residential sidewalks and generally does not deal with them unless public construction requires it, a homeowner requests assistance, or a formal complaint is lodged. - the width of 3' is considered standard for sidewalk cut-outs, as far as I can tell. The City of Los Angeles, among other municipalities, approves of this width as a standard minimum for pedestrians, strollers, wheelchairs, etc. - I decided to try using plastic paver edging, which is held in by metal stakes. This seems to be a standard solution and should provide a solid edge next to the pavers to prevent wash-out. - I've decided to forego the construction of a retaining wall, as the landscaping is really secondary to the sidewalk pavers. Construction of this terraced "box" is probably an extraordinary effort for what is a public walkway. - I may use gravel in place of the mulch in the landscaped area, as it should be more resistant to wash-out and allow some dispersion of the water flow. Thanks again- -m-

Sorry, typo! I meant the 2060, a freestanding right-door opening fridge, which is what I actually linked. I will link it again here. @tinyone. Can you provide measurements around the cut out and the distance in inches from the interior of the cutout to the wall? Without that information it's hard to truly help. @sjhockey - I agree that a right opening door is not ideal. But it offers the best chance of opening enough so the fridge actually can be used. Unless there is enough clearance it can't open left because even a 0-clearance hinge fridge has a handle which will hit the wall and may not fully open. But we can only make "if this" suggestions without the facts/ measurements. Given the facts the OP has posted so far, I don't believe the agent is right. I think I am right. But that could change depending on how far it is from the fridge cutout to the wall on the left and how much space there is between the ovens and the cut out on the right. And if there's enough space for the door to swing open in the aisle between the fridge wall and the island. @tiny -- if you are doing other work in the house, a competent GC could make this all go away very easily. Depending -- again -- on the current location of the electrical outlet in the fridge cut out and the location of the water line it might need an electrician and a plumber in addition to a carpenter who is good enough to do fine finish work and alter an existing cabinet well enough to reuse pieces as needed. If a GC has a good crew, that's the way to go. The percentage paid to him will be worth it as he will be responsible. But I wouldn't let anyone touch anything until you ID a fridge that can function in the space somehow and after you've identified what will need to be altered more or less. Then I'd meet with the GC with the spec sheets in front of you to discuss his suggestions on how to go forward and what it will cost. Only after that would I make a purchase. OTOH, if the cabinet store that furnished the cabinets is known, might be worth a call to them. But then no one person is responsible. I also would be careful about where I purchase the fridge. It weighs 400 pounds. It needs to go from the truck to the door of the house closest to the kitchen. When my fridge was delivered it was to the bottom of my driveway -- the contractor had to bring it up. Don't assume anything. Ask a ton of questions. I'd want people there with the right equipment and in the right numbers to bring it into without ruining the floors, nicking the door, denting it or at worst -- dropping it. I'd find out in advance if the fridge can be tilted horizontally (some cannot). Unfortunately, this is not a Mom's fridge from Sears situation. Here is a link that might be useful: Liebherr 2060

Check out these modern dining room photos on houzz and see if anything catches your eye. https://www.houzz.com/photos/modern-dining-room-ideas-phbr1-bp~t_722~s_2105 Here is a google search for modern industrial dining rooms. https://www.google.com/search?q=modern+industrial+dining+rooms&tbm=isch&tbo=u&source=univ&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwi68MK5_ZDYAhXF4yYKHV9DCF4QsAQI3wE&biw=1440&bih=712

@Patricia Colwell The current fridge is built in, not freestanding. I am also considering replacing with a counter depth fridge, but that would require building a new cabinet and possibly touching up the floors, so there are offsetting costs that make a freestanding option not as budget friendly as you’d think.