New sidewalk standards cutting it too close to patio season, businesses complain
City to offer discount to restaurants whose patios comply with new rules by April 1
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- Council approved these changes at its meeting on Mar. 28, 2018.
Some Ottawa restaurant owners say new standards intended to make city sidewalks more accessible have arrived too close to the start of patio season.
The city's transportation committee voted Wednesday to require businesses to leave two metres of the sidewalk clear for pedestrians. In return, the city agreed to move street signs, park benches and garbage cans, and offered a 25 per cent discount on patio licence fees to help businesses recover some of the costs associated with the changes.
It's never going to happen in three weeks' time.- Jasna Jennings, ByWard Market BIA
It may not feel like summer is around the corner, but patio season kicks off in April and some patios go up as early as St. Patrick's Day.
"You have to totally redesign your patio, you've got to get engineer drawings, you've got to get city approval, buy your materials, you've got to find a contractor," said Jasna Jennings, executive director of the ByWard Market BIA.
"It's never going to happen in three weeks' time."
Councillors make compromise
The new rules will affect 61 patios across the city, according to the city's records.
The patio owners asked council to defer the new rules, especially since there have been no known public complaints about patios that are difficult to navigate around.
Councillors agreed to go easy business owners this year, but there's a catch.
They'll have until Oct. 31 to submit plans for compliant patios, and won't be penalized this summer. However they'll only qualify for the 25 per cent fee discount if their compliant patios are up and running by April.
Executives from local business groups accused the committee of placing too much financial pressure and stress on restaurant owners. Dennis Van Staalduinen of the Wellington West BIA cautioned the new rules could prompt some business owners to give up on having patios at all.
Transportation committee chair Keith Egli said councillors made a good compromise.
"There's been a real focus on making our sidewalks a lot more useable by everybody," Egli said.
The new rules must be approved by city council at the end of the month before they come into effect.