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It'll now be faster for restaurants to get an outdoor dining patio in the City of North Vancouver

Council voted unanimously to endorse updates to the city’s Outdoor Dining Patio Guidelines which will expedite the process for businesses applying for a license.
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City of North Vancouver council voted unanimously to endorse updates to the city’s Outdoor Dining Patio Guidelines which will expedite the process for businesses applying for a licence. | North Shore News files

City of North Vancouver eateries hoping to set up an outdoor dining patio with a quick turnaround are in luck.

Council voted unanimously to endorse updates to the city’s outdoor dining patio guidelines which will expedite the process for businesses applying for a license.

With the changes in place, city staff will be able to process patio licences within two to three weeks.

Changes to the guidelines, which haven’t been updated since December 1993, include a new declaration, streamlined application criteria and updates to requirements.The guidelines have been updated to meet current policy standards for building, fire safety, planning and Vancouver Coastal Health.

They’re not COVID-19 specific and work in conjunction with the city’s Temporary Patio Program. The city temporarily relaxed patio rules so businesses could easily create more outdoor patio space on curbsides, which will last for the remainder of the pandemic.

On top of the updates, council also approved giving the city’s director of community and partner engagement authorization to issue outdoor dining licence to use agreements.

“The overarching goals for the proposed Outdoor Dining Patio Application, Requirements and Declaration are to achieve a high standard of design for outdoor dining in public and private spaces and to provide a more expedited application process,” Lisa Stirling, community and partner relations specialist, wrote in the report for council.

“This will be achieved through the guidelines and design reviews.”

In the report, Stirling also highlights the new guidelines will promote and enhance the local economy and businesses as well as social wellbeing and leisure.

“These guidelines support local businesses, which in turn encourages the financial sustainability of said businesses and will contribute to future tourism opportunities when the current provincial dining and travel restrictions are lifted,” she wrote.

“These revised guidelines, which encourage al fresco dining and its inherent casual inviting atmosphere, would further the city’s streetscape improvement plans, thereby contributing to the official community plan goals relating to the sense of place.”

Each application for a patio licence comes with a one-time $175 administration fee plus an annual $58 documentation fee in the first three years, after which the business pays a $58 renewal fee for each three-year period.

Councillors were happy to endorse the guideline changes at this "critical time," agreeing that they would help businesses survive ongoing provincial health officer restrictions, which include an indoor dining ban until at least April 19.

“I think the outdoor dining has been very successful and certainly helpful to the businesses, and even as of today (March 29) when they put into [effect] no inside dining, they really need these patios,” Coun. Holly Back said.

“Hopefully the sun is going to shine, and people will be sitting outside.”

Elisia Seeber is the North Shore News’ Indigenous and civic affairs reporter. This reporting beat is made possible by the Local Journalism Initiative.