The mayor’s proposal would create permanent rules for restaurants wanting to continue using their Covid-era outdoor dining setups or build new ones.
Chicago’s Mayor Brandon Johnson has introduced a measure to create a permanent Outdoor Dining Street Permit program after the pandemic-era program lapsed at the end of last year, reports Quinn Myers for Block Club Chicago. “Those expansions proved crucial to keeping restaurants and bars in business when indoor dining was deemed unsafe as the virus spread, business owners and industry leaders have said.”
The mayor’s proposal would also allow groups of restaurants on the same block to apply for street closures collectively, and taverns and breweries with a “food partner” to participate. “The measure would also allow businesses that constructed patios on their own property, like parking lots, to resume outdoor service.”
The measure could be voted on this week at a special City Council meeting. Other cities that created outdoor dining and open streets programs during the pandemic, such as Los Angeles, are now working to establish permanent rules for right-of-way use.
Read the full story: Permanent Outdoor Dining Expansion Proposed By Mayor After COVID-Era Rules Lapse
DC Extends Application Window for Outdoor Dining Permits
District restaurants will have until the end of November to apply, but businesses with permits in rush hour parking lanes must end operations on July 31.
Opinion: Repurpose Parking for Bike Lanes and Outdoor Seating
With car parking banned from two blocks of Chicago's Milwaukee Avenue on weekend nights, the city could take the opportunity to permanently adapt the space for other uses.
NYC launches curb management office to rein in delivery, parking chaos
New York has roughly 3 million curbside parking spots.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
California plans to bury El Niño’s downpour
If the state plays its cards right, it may be able to store a billion acre-feet of El Niño’s water in aquifers.
Desperate measures: Advocates weigh draining Lake Powell to fill Colorado River
Draining the reservoir could reduce evaporation losses by a couple hundred thousand acre-feet.
Chicago voters approve permanent festival grounds, penalty for vacant property owners
Currently, major summer and fall festivals take over public parks for weeks at a time, drawing criticism from nearby residents
NYC votes to cut outdoor dining red tape, speed up permitting
New York City also voted to allow the Department of Transportation to begin work on urgent projects before notifying elected officials.
California appears to reject Prop. 45
The proposition would have expanded the projects that qualify for a streamlined environmental review, effectively paring down the California Environmental Quality Act.
FREE Course: Walkable City 1: Why Walkability?
After describing his path towards focusing on walkability as the essence of good planning, Jeff Speck marches through his five principal reasons for making more walkable places.
Reinventing Malls: Planning Alchemy—Turning Gray Fields Into Gold
The course focuses on the opportunities and imperatives that shape reinvention of mall sites.
City of Rosemead
Rutgers University, Edward J. Bloustein School of Planning and Public Policy
One Hundred Miles
Hunter College, City University of New York (CUNY)
The Architects Foundation
University of Cincinnati Online
City of Cambridge
Montrose County
The Pocatello Development Authority