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More capacity, longer runs eyed for seasonal restaurant patios

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Pick your own dates and put more diners outside.

An update to city hall’s seasonal patio rules was endorsed unanimously Monday by council’s planning committee, eager to loosen the reins for London restaurants in the aftermath of COVID-19 restrictions.

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Politicians also asked city staff to investigate further boosting capacity for those temporary outdoor eating spaces.

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“This is definitely welcome news,” Barbara Maly, the head of Downtown London, said of the proposed changes.

“During the pandemic, both ourselves and the city became well aware of the fact that we could be flexible, we could be safe and we could still actually run a business with some flexible patio regulations,” she added. “I think it’s understood there can be less red tape and bureaucracy around patio restrictions.”

Seasonal patios, different than permanent ones, often involve extra tables and chairs in parking spots to make more outdoor eating space during COVID-19. Until now, those were allowed between March 14 and Nov. 16. The capacity has been capped at 50 per cent of the indoor limit, or 50 people, whichever is higher.

The tweaks politicians recommended Monday would allow those patios to operate any eight months of the year – rather than a period prescribed by city hall – and change capacity rules to require 1.1 square metres of space for each customer.

That aligns London’s bylaws with the same requirements under Ontario’s liquor laws, the rules set out by the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario.

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“To me, this is a bullseye, this is exactly what I was hoping to see come back,” Ward 2 Coun. Shawn Lewis said.

There are a handful of other rules for temporary patios, such as requirements to stay at least six metres from any residential properties, and prohibiting them on accessible parking spaces.

The final decision rests with city council at its Oct. 17 meeting.

The planning committee also voted to request city staff look into capacity rules to consider allowing even more customers on temporary patios, at Ward 11 Coun. Stephen Turner’s urging.

“I would have liked to see us have less regulation in this area to provide more latitude to operators,” he said.

“It sounds like we’re providing as much latitude as we can.”

The new rules also would apply to patios created on city property during the pandemic, though some may have to be removed to allow snow removal during the winter, city staff said.

Permanent patios, which have no dates limiting operation, would not be bound by the updates.

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