Rethinking downtown patios

[indent]When the designs for the downtown revitalization were first presented, it seemed like a good idea to have the restaurant patios separated from the storefronts, with a wider pedestrian walkway between patios and the buildings.

After all, it seemed to make sense to create an accessible, comfortable pedestrian zone that was clearly delineated.

Now, after several negative comments from downtown business and restaurant owners*, I've changed my mind. There were considerations I had not been aware of, and after some thought, the concerns raised make it clear that the new design, while perhaps more convenient for pedestrians, would be difficult, if not disastrous, for the restaurateurs.

The plan proposes to widen the sidewalk. In doing so, the patios will be moved away from the restaurants towards the street, 1 metre from the curb. One metre from the storefronts will be reserved for sandwich-board (A-frame) signs and marketing materials (tables during sidewalk sales for example).

But here's what some restaurant owners are now saying this will cause (these are from a letter sent to council by downtown restaurants):

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There are other concerns voiced by different BIA members and myself:

• The cost of the new patio fencing will be borne by the owners. Since the patios now need fencing on four sides, that's an extra expense for already burdened downtown businesses.**
  
• A separate patio will require owners to get revised liquor licences and put in a wet bar in the patio, all at their added expense.
  
• The proposed patios will be smaller than the existing ones. Currently they can be 3.5m wide - the new design only allows 2.5m, a reduction of a third. Plus, licensed patios will be further reduced in available space for customers by the required new wet bar equipment. So the owners will be able to seat and serve fewer customers at any time.
  
• At 2.5m (less than 8 ft), a patio will be very tight (consider a 2 ft-square table: you can fit one on each side of the patio adjacent to the fencing with roughly 4ft for aisle, but there isn't enough space to fit a third because that would only leave 1ft space between tables; too small for waitstaff. At the current 3.5m., the owner can accommodate three such tables with sufficient space between them for waitstaff to serve). Tables for groups of four or more will be very restricted or limited in this space: only one (with chairs) can fit in that width. This will discourage groups larger than two people from using these patios because there will be few, if any, tables available for them.
  
• The patios will be close to the curb - closer to the sounds and emissions of vehicles on the main street. Not very conducive to pleasurable dining, and noisier. Especially if the vehicles back into their spot!
  
• Many of today's larger vehicles like SUVs and pick-up trucks have long front noses that will extend a considerable distance over the curb, to or close to the patio fence. That will further restrict people who get out of these vehicles and make it difficult, or at times impossible, to go directly onto the sidewalk. Many people will have to walk into the street to go around vehicles in order to find access to the sidewalk. That is unsafe. It will also bring the front of the vehicle much closer to the patio, which is aesthetically unattractive.
  
• Owners who have already purchased and installed awnings to extend from the storefront over their patios will now have to spend more money to buy umbrellas to offer cover and shade for their customers. Their current awnings will have been a wasted investment.
  
• The probability of a collision between pedestrians, skateboarders or bicycle riders and servers increases dramatically. We already can't control people riding bicycles or skateboards on downtown sidewalks, often at high speeds. This design just makes it more treacherous for waitstaff. I suggest that an injury might involve legal action with the town liable for damages. Plus a collision, even if not injurious, would likely result in broken dishes and lost food - all things the businesses will have to replace at their cost.
  
• Gulls could become a downtown problem. Gulls are smart opportunists, even aggressive feeders at times, and are a problem in many locations already. Right now, the closeness of the patios to the storefronts and the awnings helps discourage them from looking for scraps. But put the patios away from the building, and the gulls will have a much clearer space to approach and land. They may soon come to feed downtown in greater numbers.
  
• Umbrellas may protect customers from some sun, but are not usually big enough to protect from rain like awnings can. Customers will not want to sit outside in a light rain as they might have been able to do under an awning. So businesses will lose some of these customers who can't be accommodated inside.
  
• Some patios will be directly under or very close to the speakers located downtown on the lampposts. That means diners will be forced to endure the dismal elevator music often broadcast on those speakers. That alone would discourage some people from sitting there.

All those extra expenses will be passed along to you, the customer (along with the expected new parking fees**). Just one more thing to encourage customers to shop elsewhere.

This is not sustainability. We should be looking for the best way to keep the downtown active, economically viable, and animated, not merely attractive.

At council (after the mayor's interruption), I asked if the designers had considered looking at Ottawa's Byward Market for ideas. There, patios are against the storefronts. Yes, sometimes it's a bit crowded on the sidewalk and less accessible than designers would prefer, but overall it works well and it's hugely popular. Perhaps we have to ask whether we want an economically vital downtown or merely a visually pleasing one. Do we want a downtown all residents can enjoy, or one that is so expensive only a handful of people can afford?

I was also concerned to read this comment from two restaurant owners:

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It seems like there has been a communication gap here. The BIA should be getting ALL current and potential patio owners*** together to discuss this and come up with a collective voice on this design BEFORE the construction gets started.

Time to rethink the design, this time in close consultation with the restaurant and bar owners.

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* These were the concerns I tried to raise at the Sept. 21 council meeting, but was rudely interrupted in mid-sentence by our mayor who felt it was his role to interrupt, despite the Procedural Bylaw which says a member of council has the right to speak without interruption by anyone else.
**As is a good portion of the makeover: the BIA pledged $1 million towards the redesign and that has to be paid by the businesses. But that commitment was made before the mayor's parking committee recommended disposing of the free downtown parking, putting in pay parking, with higher rates, and almost doubling parking-in-lieu charges to discourage future development and rebuilding downtown. So BIA members will be paying more in taxes and levies, as well as shouldering these added expenses. But it's you, the customer, who will end up paying.
***The new design will open the possibility of a patio to some restaurants that currently cannot have one due to the requirement of allowing a 2m pedestrian space between patio and curb. [/indent]