Burlington extends outdoor dining and starts winter patio task force
The weather is getting colder, but restaurants don't want to call the end of patio season just yet.
The City of Burlington has approved the extension of the temporary patio bylaw and approved amendments to support winterized patios. The motions are designed to support an industry still grappling with losses and occupancy restrictions due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
Early in the pandemic, the city allowed restaurants to expand their patios into areas they normally would not be permitted to.
Burlington restaurant owner Ted Kindos said that the patio business was crucial for many operators.
That patio probably saved our restaurant this summer. I know there's restaurants with a bigger patio that had a really successful summer that basically saved their businesses," said Kindos. Talk to restaurateurs, everyone's down from 50, 70, 80 per cent. How can you recover from that? And the patios, it helped tremendously. Thank God."
The city's zoning bylaw would be amended to remove the current time limitations of temporary structures and tents up to a particular size. Guidelines will be in place to support safety for these structures.
Restaurants that have existing outdoor patio agreements with the City of Burlington and would like to operate a patio throughout the winter must inform the city by Nov. 8.
Through a winter patio task force, a restaurant that expresses interest in operating their patio on public land throughout the winter season will be evaluated to ensure health and safety measures are upheld. The overall safety of the public on the city's rights of way, such as sidewalks, will also be considered.
Coun. Kelvin Galbraith pledged that the city will do what it can to support the restaurant industry.
Anything at the municipal level that we can do to help this sector, I think, is important, and we really want you to succeed. We do not want to lose anymore restaurants in our city," said Galbraith.
The city is also offering a grant program to reimburse the costs of building permit fees, for an estimated total amount of $5,000 for outdoor patios and tent structures when a building permit is required, with an expiry date of Oct. 31, 2021.