The Morning Journal (Lorain, OH)
City starts outdoor dining program
Avon Lake released its plan June 5 for temporary outdoor dining permits to its restaurant and bar owners, according to a news release.
The program is aimed at reducing the damage to these businesses from the novel coronavirus pandemic crisis and is getting the green light after nearly a month of discussion in Avon Lake City Council, following the lead of other Northeast Ohio municipalities.
Ted Esborn, economic development director for Avon Lake, explored the possibility with restaurateurs and barkeepers in the city.
Esborn said more than half of the restaurants and bars that he talked to were interested in a temporary outdoor dining area.
“My biggest takeaway was that nobody was talking about putting tables and chairs in a street or a big shared parking lot,” he said. “They were talking about the walkway in front of their restaurant, or an unused spot on their property.
“That settled some of our biggest concerns and allowed us to push forward.”
Avon Lake is working in partnership with Ohio’s Division of Liquor Control so that a temporary dining area permitted by the city also is approved by the state for alcohol use.
A permit is effective for a maximum of 180 days.
There can be no structural improvements, such as fences, walls or paving.
The business owner is not allowed to install new lighting for the area, except for lighting on the tables.
Temporary outdoor areas must close by 10 p.m.
Music — live or recorded — is prohibited in these spaces.
The city’s permit has language that gives the people living closest to these areas recourse if noise becomes a nuisance, the release said.
“The city’s goal was to create space that allows for more socially distanced customers,” Esborn said. “For that to work, we need the temporary spaces to be pretty simple so that they don’t disturb the balance in our neighborhoods.”
Once a business sends a complete application to Esborn, he will send it to the Division of Liquor Control, which will approve it in two to three business days.
It is possible that an Avon Lake bar or restaurant that sends in its application on June 8 could have permit for an outdoor dining area by the following weekend.