The Municipality of Chatham-Kent is looking to make it easier for restaurants to continuously overcome the hurdles of operating during the COVID-19 pandemic.
Staff is bringing forth a report during Monday night's council meeting recommending that temporary outdoor patios at restaurants and bars in the municipality continue to be permitted throughout 2021.
In June 2020, the Ontario government allowed for restaurants and bars to temporarily extend outdoor patio spaces to safely accommodate patrons and staff during the COVID-19 pandemic. The Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario did not require licensees to apply or pay a fee for these temporary extensions.
In response to this, on June 15, 2020, Chatham-Kent council approved a report which contained a number of recommendations and guidelines for temporary patios.
"Over the past six months, administration worked with many local restaurant and bar owners to establish temporary outdoor patios on private property and on the municipal right-of-way in order to maintain appropriate social distancing, in accordance with public health measures," stated the report.
The recommendations that council originally approved are set to expire on January 1, 2021 but staff is recommending that they continue for another year, until January 1, 2022.
"It is clear that the COVID-19 pandemic will continue well in 2021, therefore, it is recommended that temporary outdoor patios be permitted throughout 2021 to provide flexibility for local restaurants and bars," staff said through the report.
The recommendations include that:
- The guidelines for temporary patios installed on private property be adopted until January 1, 2022
- The temporary use by-law to allow for temporary outdoor patios on private property for the period up to January 1, 2022, be approved and the implementing by-law be adopted
- The process for outdoor patios on municipal property established in 2020, be adopted again for 2021
Staff is also recommending a zoning by-law amendment that would make it easier for establishments to construct permanent outdoor patios.
"Some business owners have noted that they may like to invest in constructing a permanent patio in the future on their own property but they are constrained in doing so because of current regulations in the zoning by-law," read the report. "Specifically, in several cases the only option to construct a permanent patio would be to use some existing parking spaces. Therefore, in order to provide some flexibility, it is recommended that the zoning by-law be amended so that up to 15 per cent of the required and/or existing parking spaces for the main use may be used to construct an outdoor patio."
According to the report, approximately 35 business owners in Chatham-Kent installed some type of temporary outdoor patio in 2020 and 12 business owners to establish a temporary patio on municipal property. The report also notes that there were only a minimal amount of infractions observed, all of which were quickly rectified.