Chicago Mayor Proposes Permanent Outdoor Dining Program

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.