The Town of Essex council will be discussing a sidewalk patio policy.
A report will go forward to council this evening to amend the current by-law and include a charge for the setup/takedown of the sidewalk patios of $1,000 for standard patios, and a $2,000 fee for patios that require traffic control measures.
Now that the Harrow Centre and Essex Centre Streetscape projects have been completed, the Town is looking to develop a policy for sidewalk patios that are consistent with the aesthetic of the new streetscape designs.
Administration is also undertaking to implement the policy for all future patio permit applications to ensure that there is proper traffic control and accessibility for pedestrians.
Once an application is submitted, Town officials will meet with the applicant to discuss the layout and barrier options. Those looking to have a sidewalk patio will no longer be able to use concrete 4x4 blocks, wood and rope as they do not produce the proper look and feel of the streetscape projects that were constructed.
Mayor Sherry Bondy says they want the sidewalk patios to be consistent.
"We've invested a lot of money in beautifying our downtown, so we want those patios to match, and to be more so like brick and mortar rather than just a rope because with the flex street in Essex ward 1, we have more outdoor space on our sidewalks, but we also want those patios to be safe."
She says it's important to have a set policy moving forward.
"Our downtown's are always changing, we don't have a whole lot of restaurants on Main Street but in the future we might get more. Or this is for if people want to set up sidewalk sales, reoccurring sidewalk sales on the patio space, this is something that they can take advantage of as well."
Bondy says the Town of Essex will be responsible to install and remove a patio, not the applicant.
"It'll be no responsibility of the applicant to put up the patio infrastructure because we want to make sure that there's no damage going forward. We want to also protect our streetscape, so that's another reason for our staff getting more involved.")
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the fee for sidewalk patios was waived by the Town.
Each year, applicants would still be required pay a patio application fee, which includes the patio setup and take-down costs.
If approved by council, this change would go into effect as of May 1.
Council meets at 6 p.m.