Street patios will likely return to Collingwood this summer as council prepares to extend the special rules they put in place last year because of COVID restrictions.
The town’s boulevard encroachment permit bylaw allowed business owners to use street parking, parking lots, and more sidewalk for outdoor patios and merchandise displays last year.
Businesses could also apply for winter permits to keep their patios open all year round.
According to Deputy Clerk Becky Dahl, there were 13 restaurants and three retail businesses with permits last year.
During a March 1 committee meeting, Dahl did recommend some changes to the bylaw for this year, including construction guidelines recommending the patios be on a raised wood platform and have a sturdy fence between the patio and the road.
Last year some restaurants used a rope barrier to separate the patio from the road.
Dahl said the idea was to create more consistency and also uphold the efforts of the BIA to beautify the downtown.
If a restaurant couldn’t afford a raise platform, she said the minimum standard was to have a ramp installed for accessibility.
Dahl said raised platforms help the patios become more visible from the street for safety reasons, particularly along Hurontario Street.
Cassie MacKell, owner of Low Down on Simcoe Street said she was glad to see the encroachment permits would be granted again this year, but asked council not to require the platforms and solid fencing for them just yet.
“I was quoted $6,000 to $7,000 to build a deck with metal fencing around it,” said MacKell during the meeting.
She also noted there would be costs to store the patio when it was not in use in the winter.
“I can understand if this is a long-term plan, we’d have to invest that money, but the bylaw being in place only for a year makes me hesitant,” said MacKell. “Last year we used a rope barrier … I ask you to consider that again so we can recoup the losses we’ve had.”
Espresso Post owners Mark and Christine Krause, also want to see the encroachment permits continue and want to be able to set up as early as possible this year.
They echoed MacKell’s concerns about cost. Last year they did have platforms built for both their cafes.
“It’s not cheap, but like Cassie said, if this is something that happens every summer, then maybe it’s something businesses can handle,” said Mark.
Christine asked the town to continue allowing rope barriers for patios.
“I think that it can be done in a tasteful way,” she said. “Metal fencing is quite expensive, and we would prefer not to incur that cost, because things are tight right now.”
The deputy clerk said the construction guidelines wouldn’t specifically require metal fencing, and wood could be an option. She said the purpose of the fencing requirements is to have a more stable barrier between the patio and the road, other sections of the patio wouldn’t have the same rigid fencing requirements.
The corporate and community services committee, which includes five members of council, approved the extension of the special bylaw through to April 2022. It will still need the approval of full council at its meeting on March 15. If it’s passed then, staff said they can start issuing permits for the 2021 patio season.
The town did also try out a pedestrian walkway project by closing Simcoe Street from Hurontario to St. Paul Street on a Saturday, allowing businesses to use the sides of the street for sales.
However, Dahl said that type of street closure is better left to the town’s special event permit process, which is how it was handled for the subsequent street closures in August.
