Grande Prairie City Council has approved a new policy regarding the regulations business owners will face if they wish to open up an outdoor patio during the warm season.
The new policy features four different options for business owners to consider when opening up an outdoor patio.
The first option would see tables and chairs placed on the sidewalk while keeping a clear path for pedestrians, the second would allow businesses to open a patio on the street within the curb lane by taking up a parking space, the third would allow businesses to create a sidewalk patio while pedestrians are re-routed through the curb lane, and the fourth allows businesses to open a patio on the sidewalk within a fenced off area while keeping most of the sidewalk open for pedestrians.
All four options carry the same $100 fee for businesses, and Grande Prairie Mayor Jackie Clayton maintains that the fee is “not a cost recovery,” but a way for the city to keep track of patios that are opening up in the city.
“It’s really just to have a process to reduce any liability, have a proper process so that we’re aware of any patios that are out there, so people that want to have a patio know the expectations and the standards, the $100 is a fee, it’s a small fee that’s applied against the processing of the permit but it’s not cost recovery,” she says.
Discussions surrounding parking in the downtown core came up among council as a result of the policy, especially among options two and three which would see parking spaces utilized for patios; however, Mayor Clayton says an evaluation conducted by the Downtown Association revealed that parking should not become an issue downtown.
“Council always looks at what makes our downtown stronger; however, there is a significant amount of parking, maybe not always right in front of the store that you choose to shop at, but there are other public parking spots available,” she says. “The one or two spots that are sometimes taken with an outdoor patio is minimal in regards to the total number of parking spots overall.”
Interested business owners can apply through the City of Grande Prairie after filling out an application form with photos of the building’s frontage, site plans, and proof of liability.
