Patio plans greeted with mixed reviews

YorkRegion.com
April 30, 2015
Chris Simon

You could soon sip drinks or have a bite to eat while overlooking Main Street.

Council is considering approving a pilot project to allow up to two Main area businesses to setup outdoor patios during the warm weather months, in an effort to promote economic development and make the area more appealing to visitors. The patios would front onto Main, thus encroaching on municipal property.

Studies indicate the desire and importance of supporting pedestrian-centric activities in the downtown, community services commissioner Ian McDougall said.

Several Main businesses have historically placed informal seating arrangements adjacent to their storefronts to provide seating for customers on an ad-hoc basis, he said.

These have occasionally been on private frontages and other times in the public right-of-way. During special events, permits have been issued for some businesses to expand their operations into the public right-of-way within certain limits, McDougall added.

The recommendation would only apply to businesses between Millard Avenue and Water Street.

However, some shop owners have concerns over the initiative. Anne Robins, of Robins IDA Pharmacy, says available parking space can be difficult to find in the downtown core. So, allocating spots to patios will deter potential customers and negatively affect many of the other businesses in the area.

“They would not benefit the majority of Main,” she said. “Parking is at a premium in the core. A pharmacy, by its nature, tends to serve the elderly and people with mobility issues; further reductions to street parking reduces their ability to use our service,” she said.

But on-street patios can actually be a more efficient use of space, McDougall said.

A parking space occupied by a vehicle will convey, on average, 1.6 people to the area, he said. A parking space occupied by an on-street patio can provide seating for as many as 20 additional customers, he added.

Many of the restaurants affected could erect patios at the rear of their properties instead, Robins countered.

The town’s proposal has the support of the Main Street District Business Improvement Association.

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