City of North Van’s patio program to last until pandemic ends

While there may be no such thing as an endless summer, patio season is becoming a year-round affair in the City of North Vancouver.

Council voted unanimously on a motion from Mayor Linda Buchanan Sept. 14 to extend the temporary streetside patio and parklet program to allow them to winterize and stay “for the duration of the COVID-19 pandemic.”

The program has been “overwhelmingly popular,” Buchanan said, but in order to extend it much longer and give businesses a fighting chance through the darker, colder months, it would need council’s approval.

“If they can't have an extension of their patios, and if they have to move indoors, where they're very restricted still with their numbers, it's going to be extremely, extremely difficult,” Buchanan said. “Fall and winter can be more dreary months, as we know. Hopefully this just gives people a little bit more uplift and ability to get out and either just connect with one another or patronize our business community.”

On Friday, the province agreed to extend the looser alcohol regulations for any municipalities that requested it, which the cities of Vancouver and Delta already have.

Coun. Angela Gerard cited statistics from a recent survey by the BC Restaurant and Foodservices Association which found 47 per cent of residents are avoiding eating out and 34 per cent are nervous about the idea, and suggested the city create “designated pick-up zones" to make it easier to allow contactless curbside pick-up.

More than being a help to small business owners and their staff, the program has been a popular retooling of public spaces, Coun. Jessica McIlroy noted.

Coun. Holly Back said she her early concerns about the program have been assuaged and added she would like to see the city seek out more partners to sponsor more modified shipping containers to be put to use as covered patios.

“I think that the patios have been a huge success. And I want to commend the staff on really making the patios look fantastic. At first, I was a little concerned but I think they've just done a great job,” she said.