City to close King William Street to cars for pandemic patio expansions — and that’s just the start

The city will close King William Street to cars for pandemic patios this summer - and dozens of similar requests could see outdoor dining spilling into streets, parking lots and alleys across Hamilton.

Ontario has set Friday as the date Hamilton can ease COVID-19 lockdown restrictions on businesses. That means restaurants can serve physically-distanced patrons on the patio - if they have one.

Council voted in May to consider applications for outdoor dining districts" this summer to allow restaurants with little or no outdoor seating to safely spread out diners amid the threat of COVID-19.

The city approved one of the first applications Tuesday that will allow the closure of a block of King William Street to vehicles from 10 a.m. until 10 p.m. to allow diners from at least nine different restaurants to eat and drink in the street.

I am just so excited to start serving food that does not come in a box," said Jason Cassis, whose restaurant The French has survived on takeout orders since April. People may not want to dine inside right now, but they certainly have the confidence to dine outside."

Cassis was outside Tuesday talking pandemic patio strategy and pacing out six-foot table separation with Berkeley North co-owner Matthew Webber.

Webber said his local food and craft cocktail restaurant would only have room for three physically distant" tables without the option to spill into King William. This will be massive," he said of the impact of outdoor service on his bottom line. Survival has been tough."

The downtown BIA, which fronted the application, said King William will close to cars between James Street North and Hughson Street as of Friday morning.

But that's just the beginning.

The city is evaluating 30-plus unique" applications across the city and has fielded questions from 70-plus restaurants, said business development officer Julia Davis. Road and sidewalk closures, parking lots and alleys are all on the table. We're trying to find solutions for anyone who wants to work with us."

That likely means well-known restaurant row streets like King William, Augusta, Hess and George will at least be examined - no guarantees yet - for partial lane closures or even full vehicle bans.

But patio applications under consideration have come from restaurants on the Mountain, in Waterdown, Stoney Creek and Dundas. Not everyone is asking for a street closure, either.

Imagine dining in an alley off Barton Street. Or in a huge parking plaza at Lime Ridge Mall on the Mountain. Or tucked into a converted on-street parking spot.

Not every pandemic patio dream can come true, however.

All applications must be evaluated for safety - for diners, pedestrians and drivers - as well as for the impact on nearby businesses and traffic flow. For street closures, you must have at least two-thirds of affected businesses on board to even apply.

Other cities across Canada are experimenting with similar street shutdowns with mixed results.

Calgary is allowing restaurants to expand patios onto sidewalks and recently banned car traffic from one of its main streets, Stephen Avenue, after a majority of businesses lobbied for the change. But Peterborough's downtown BIA labelled a recent pandemic street closure a debacle" after business owners complained about customer access.

Matthew Van Dongen is a Hamilton-based reporter covering transportation for The Spectator. Reach him via email: mvandongen@thespec.com