The City of New Westminster is getting positive reviews of its new parklets from local businesses.
In June, city council endorsed an initiative that includes the installation of additional parklets to support business recovery efforts in response to COVID-19. With the parklets, the idea was to transform on-street parking stalls into places for people to sit, socialize and enjoy takeaway food purchased from local establishments.
Erika Mashig, the city’s manager of parks and open space, said the city has built three new parklets – one uptown, one downtown and one on 12th Street. She said reports from businesses around the Columbia Street parklet indicate it is well-used.
The newest parklet, located on 12th Street at Nanaimo, has also been well-received, Mashig said.
“So far reports from the business owner have been quite good. He is very excited about the extra seating,” she said of the owner of a nearby donair store. “We have been contacted by a couple of the other neighbouring businesses just to ensure it is a public parklet. There is signage that says that anyone can use them.”
According to Mashig, the parklet outside the Dairy Queen on Sixth Avenue “is very popular and very well used.”
At the same time the city took steps to create parklets, council also supported an expedited allowing restaurants and pubs to create temporary patio extensions. The idea is the patios would help local businesses to serve patrons safely at a time when they could accommodate fewer customers indoors because of reduced occupancy loads as a result of social distancing requirements.
In May, the province announced it was temporarily authorizing the expansion of service areas, such as patios, to support physical distancing requirements and industry recovery during the COVID-19 pandemic. At that time, the Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch permitted food-primary, liquor-primary and manufacturer licensees, such as wineries, breweries and distilleries, to apply through a simplified online process to temporarily expand their service areas until Oct. 31.
At the Aug. 31 council meeting, Coun. Patrick Johnstone questioned whether the patio program will be extended beyond October.
“They are sort of operating under a temporary program, I understand, based on what we were allowed to do from the province and licensing,” he said.
Staff will be reporting back to council about the patio issue at a future meeting.
“There is work going on in that vein. Some information will be coming to council,” said Emilie Adin, the city’s director of development services. “We have received correspondence with some requests that are being studied by an interdepartmental team of staff.”
