Curbside patios pop up on King Street as city waives application fees

Thestar.com
June 19, 2018
Tamar Harris

Patio season will look different on King St. this year, as business owners take the city up on its offer to spill out onto the streets.

As part of the King St. pilot project, which was established last fall to speed up transit along the congested corridor, space for patios and public seating areas have been created in the curbside lane on King St. The city waived the application fee for King St. businesses between Jarvis and Bathurst Sts. to set up in those spaces for the duration of the pilot project.

Nine business-operated patios with table service have been approved, with a 10th patio pending.

“In effect, we’re trying to turn King St. into the front porch for the city,” said Joe Cressy, the councillor for Ward 20 Trinity-Spadina.

He said the patios and public installations were proposed “with the intention of creating a new and improved King St. -- one where people don’t simply travel through King St., but rather people travel to King St.

Since the pilot began eight months ago, businesses along the corridor have complained the pilot project is impacting revenue. The city has invested in boosting sales at restaurants affected by the pilot.

The TTC said ridership on streetcars is up significantly along the route.

Nick Di Donato, president and CEO of Liberty Entertainment Group, said the 60-seat patio at Cibo Wine Bar and the 30-seat patio at Spice Route, an Asian bistro and bar, will be open this week. He called the two patios, both just west of Spadina Ave., “quite a unique opportunity.”

“It’s an opportunity to try and embrace the pilot project and see if we can make it work as a business,” he said.

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Di Donato said while King St. businesses suffered during the winter, he hopes the patios, and summer pedestrian traffic, will help offset those losses.

“Obviously, (the pilot has had) a positive impact on transportation so if we could achieve a win-win, that would be great,” Di Donato said.

Salvatore Mele, owner of Oretta, an Italian restaurant just east of Bathurst St., said it’s a competitive advantage to have a patio. Mele said in the week-and-a-half the on-street patio has been open, a lot of people have opted to sit outside.

“It’s been good, it’s been busy,” he said.

He added the 30-seat patio is on a raised platform and “it feels like there’s a barrier ... it doesn’t feel like you’re on the street.”

City of Toronto spokesman Bruce Hawkins said businesses must apply to build a patio on the street and require a permit.

“The City of Toronto waived the application fee for occupying curb lane for the duration (and in the area) of the King Street Transit Pilot,” Hawkins said in an email. All other costs -- from liquor licence fees to construction and maintenance of the patios -- is the responsibility of businesses.

The curbside patios must be closed and cleared of customers by midnight on Friday and Saturdays, and 11 p.m. every other night. The patios are permitted through the end of the year.

Hawkins said the pilot aims to keep a consistent “cycle zone” 1.73 metres from the outside streetcar track.

“The patios must maintain this width, in line with the TTC streetcar stops and public space installations within the pilot area,” Hawkins added. “The City reviews the applicants’ detailed drawings and conducts site visits to ensure compliance.”