Pandemic patio rules should be made permanent, committee says

• UPDATE |Council unanimously approved this item at its meeting on Dec. 8, 2021.

The new-look patio landscape that's emerged in Ottawa during the COVID-19 pandemic could stick around for years to come.

The city'splanning committee voted unanimouslyMonday in favour of a zoning bylaw amendment that would make permanent some of the relaxed patio regulations introduced during the depths of thepandemic.

The temporary bylaw approved by council in July 2020 got rid of mandatory 30-metre and 75-metre buffers between patios and residential zones, with the specific buffer dependingon whether those patios had screensor not.

Italso allowed patios to go up on parking lots, though not on accessiblespaces.

The changes offered a "lifeline" to businesses that had "found themselves in incredibly desperate straits" thanks to COVID-19 restrictions, said David Wise, program manager with the city's zoning unit, at Monday's virtualmeeting.

• City relaxes rules for patios into the winter

The pre-pandemic rules meant many restaurants and bars on the city's main streets were unable to have outdoor dining, Wise said.

"This was a regulatory barrier that was getting in the way of small businesses being able to improve the quality of life along our streets," Wisetold the planning committee.

Concerns about noise

The proposed amendment would require patios within 30 metres of a residential zone to erect a "visual screen," while also prohibiting them from using amplifiers to play music.

Since the changes were initially introduced, residents filed 13 complaints to the city's bylaw department about issues like noise, sidewalk accessibility, and potentially illegal structures like tents built on the patio itself, according to Monday's report.

• Vittoria Trattoria fined $880 for enclosed patio tent

Residents may have silently grumbled without filing official complaints because they didn't want to hamstring businesses already struggling to survive, said Cheryl Parrott with the Hintonburg Community Association.

Parrott, the lone public delegation to speak about patios at Monday's meeting, said it was "essential" those visual patio screens also served as some sort of noise barrier especially as crowd sizes could be larger next summer and operatinghours longer.

More bylaw officers would also be needed to handle complaints, she added.

"We like the patios. We support the small businesses," Parrott said. "So some parts of this are good, but there's not enough in terms of mitigation."

The zoning amendment was ultimately approved with a few slight tweaks, including that staff develop a "good neighbour" document for patio owners around issues like screens and noise.

It will now go to full council Wednesday for final approval.