As warmer weather approaches, more food establishments are looking to create or continue using outdoor spaces in Chatham-Kent.
Council helped streamline the process at its March 28 meeting by directing administration to formalize an application process for businesses looking to build temporary outdoor patios located on municipal property until January 1, 2023.
Director of Public Works Ryan Brown said the process should take no longer than three weeks for a business to get a permit.
"If businesses do this, we can do them all in one batch before spring so businesses can get their patios open," said Brown.
According to Brown, business owners will have to follow a few simple steps:
• Step 1: Review the requirements of patios on municipal property
• Step 2: Take measurements and develop a sketch of the proposed patio area
• Step 3: Submit all required documentation including the application form, patio sketch, and a certificate of commercial general liability insurance.
The Public Works Department will then receive and consider the request for a temporary patio permit.
“If the application is approved, owners/tenants will be required to enter into an encroachment agreement with the municipality before any patio is constructed," read the report.
There is no fee for the agreement, but all costs associated with the patio will be borne by the business owner.
"This is a significant thing for the community and I think we should be looking at longer-term solutions that encourage patios across the municipality," said Mayor Darrin Canniff.