Patio season success promotes downtown businesses
When the weather co-operates, Lethbridge residents will soon be able to enjoy a meal and drink on patios - with or without lanterns - thanks to the continuation of a City of Lethbridge program.
And maybe Kim Mitchell’s classic ode to summertime may serenade people as they enjoy the ambience of outdoors downtown and elsewhere in the city.
The Patios, Parklets and Street Vending program has been a success since first launched as a pilot program in 2018, the city’s urban revitalization manager Andrew Malcolm said on a frigid Thursday morning outside the Umami Shop where a patio is set up on the street.
Businesses interested in outdoor seatings will have to get a permit. The city has streamlined the process and created a comprehensive handbook to assist them launching patio service. At https://www.lethbridge.ca/publicspaces, businesses can learn about operational and safety requirements, details on the review process and acquire an application form.
The City has also launched an incentive program which includes 50 per cent matching funds up to $5,000 for downtown businesses for the design and construction of a major patio or parklet. A variety of street furniture and infrastructure is available to be lent by the City at no charge including bistro tables and chairs, stools, umbrellas and planters.
For businesses outside the downtown core, a 50 per cent matching grant up to $1,000 is available to cover costs including furniture, barriers, plants and planters for patios or parklets.
“This program started in 2018 with a pilot in the downtown,” said Malcolm, with the conversion of parking spots into parklets.
“Throughout the last two years of pandemic, we’ve really seen a huge increase in use as well as demand from our businesses both in the downtown and across the city,” said Malcolm.
“So we’re really excited to continue this program from an accelerated permitting perspective but also by putting in place city infrastructure that businesses can borrow as well as grant funding on a 50 per cent matching basis, which was originally for downtown businesses but has been expanded to be city-wide thanks to city council’s decision from last year.”
He said the City expects in coming weeks to see businesses reaching out to get patios and parklets set up.
Malcolm said feedback has shown strong support of the concept.
“A lot of these businesses have been kind of scraping by, trying to balance out all the different restrictions over the last two years,” he said.
One constant has been the ability to serve people outdoors and especially in the downtown core, there isn’t a lot of room for business to expand, Malcolm added.
“The pilot we did in 2018 it was around vibrancy, it was less about supporting businesses because we didn’t have the COVID restrictions in place. So what we’ve seen is by having people sitting out on the sidewalks and on the street, more people means more vibrancy, means more eyes on the street which improves the feeling of safety. And so we’ve had a lot of positive comments around what that amount of people sitting out, live music, people laughing and enjoying our downtown has done for vibrancy,’ Malcolm added.
Sarah Amies, community director of Downtown Lethbridge Business Revitalization Zone, said the project will have a positive impact “because essentially what we’re having folks do is increase their footprint, thus increase their capacity to serve more people. When people are walking by and seeing a patio or parklet outside a particular business, then immediately it focuses attention on that business.”
She said the patios and parklets could bring more people to downtown if they are inclined to have an outdoor beverage on a patio on a nice day.
“The spinoff of course is that once folks are down here, they will then start to appreciate and recognize small businesses in the downtown that they’ve potentially not been aware of. So as far as I’m concerned, it’s a big win all the way around.