Recently, the Times reported that new sidewalk cafes are popping up all over. The sudden popularity of dining al fresco is partially due to the city making a restaurant-friendly cut in the cost for permitting. Now businesses can license their outdoor seating areas for as little as 1/5 the cost as before and even less time.
In October 2008, the city, under then-Mayor Greg Nickels, made it cheaper and faster for restaurants to get permits to seat customers in front of their establishments. Nickels said he was inspired by downtown revitalization in Melbourne, Australia, and Copenhagen, Denmark.
The new rules cut permit costs from $2,100 — and sometimes as high as $3,700 — to $707 for a 100-square-foot sidewalk cafe, roughly space for four tables with two to four chairs at each table. The permit process now takes about 10 days. Several restaurant owners complained the process used to drag on for months.
Since this process was streamlined, almost 100 businesses have begun pursuing outdoor dining. And, to help make sidewalk cafes even more popular, Great City has a great idea:
Currently, the rule is that any outdoor seating where alcohol is served (the only kind that’s worth the trouble for the average restaurateur) must be directly adjacent to the establishment in question. Trouble is, this is usually also the part of the sidewalk most in demand as a place to, you know, walk.
Great City landscape architecture and transportation geeks, along with our allies at Cascade Bicycle Club and Feet First, have suggested the proper place for sidewalk café seating is in fact in a place they call the “amenity zone,” that section of sidewalk reserved for street trees and the display boxes of Seattle’s only newspaper.
Check out the suggestion at Great City to see how this could work. The state would have to change the law to allow this, but it could be worth it.
The Times article mentions that former Mayor Nickels recognized the potential of sidewalk cafes on a visit to Melbourne. That city has great examples of what sidewalk dining can do toward making a lively city. Some streets were set up as Great City suggests, with the sidewalk between the restaurant and the dining area and with large awnings, and as you walked by, it almost felt as if you were passing through each restaurant. It was a great pedestrian experience if you were looking for somewhere to eat. If you were trying to get somewhere quickly, the servers passing back and forth across the sidewalk and diners socializing after their meals could slow you down a bit. Even here, sidewalk cafes are not without their drawbacks. From the Times:
Some objections have come from advocates for the disabled. Bill Wippel, executive director of Tape Ministries Northwest, which records material for the blind, said outdoor tables and chairs can be “obstacles” for those using wheelchairs.
It is important that our sidewalk cafes do not interfere with our two-wheeled, two-legged, or four-legged pedestrians. There are many areas in which sidewalks barely seem wide enough for people, and adding tables, chairs, and umbrellas, could increase pedestrian congestion. But, if done correctly, and with the suggestion of Great City to provide adequate room for passage, sidewalk cafes can make for a more pleasant experience on the sidewalks of Seattle for anyone walking, rolling, drinking, or eating.
