By Cecilia Nasmith
Councillor Adam Bureau's notice of motion to streamline the approval process for outdoor patio permits was his idea of supporting Cobourg restaurants, pubs and coffee shops as they begin to reopen in the limited way allowed by provincial guidelines.
At this point, Bureau pointed out, only outdoor occupancy will be allowed. This reduced capacity will not be enough to keep some of them in business, he figures, and expanded capacity might be one way to address this challenge.
His notice of motion also called for a staff report on the issue, which staff agreed was a good idea.
Bureau called for (and got) a vote approving a change of procedure to permit debate that night.
Staff present at the meeting indicated the report – at this point – is the immediate need, as there are a number of considerations involved in issuing such permits, depending on whether the patio is on private or municipal property, whether or not the facility is licensed, whether or not it offers food – and that's in addition to review by other agencies such as the health unit, the building department and the fire department.
Bureau's motion had mentioned allotting a limited number of parking spaces to adjacent restaurants, pubs and coffee shops to use as patio space, but Director of Public Works Laurie Wills didn't like the idea of patrons sitting on the street, no matter what barriers might be in place (said barriers being the cost of the business, she added). As well, patios have to be at the same height as the curb, so that involves platforms that must be built and could potentially block drainage.
“I totally respect all of that,” Bureau said.
“What I am trying to do is give them options in an unprecedented time – I know we have to be thinking outside the box.”
