Spring is coming, and the warmer weather means patio season will soon return to Centretown.
The new Clocktower Brew Pub located at 200 Elgin St. has submitted a proposal to extend its patio beyond the limit imposed by city bylaw. The larger patio would surpass the normal requirements for a 2.9-metre sidewalk by 90 centimetres, shrinking it to 2.0 metres.
The encroachment was approved by the transportation committee on March 2 and will be brought to council later this month.
Prior to submitting its proposal, the pub had circulated original plans to leave a sidewalk space of just 1.8 metres. After receiving two complaints about inadequate pedestrian space and three positive comments about the vibrancy that patios bring to the neighbourhood, the pub revised the plan to leave a 2.0-metre sidewalk space. The revised space now exceeds the city’s accessibility design standard of having a minimum 1.8-metre sidewalk.
Keith Egli, chair of the transportation committee, said the motion to approve the request and bring it to council did not garner any discussion and was easily passed.
“I think spring is coming and patios, while they can be controversial, they also liven up the street,” Elgi said. “The request was one for Elgin Street – which is one of the streets that have the most restaurants and is known as a lively street.”
John Coughlan, co-owner of the pub, agrees that patios bring life to the area.
“It is another opportunity for people to be socially active, which means you’re walking around the neighbourhood and participating in interaction with neighbours,” he said.
It’s also a chance for residents and employees in the area to enjoy themselves outdoors, he added.
“People like to get out and sit outside in the summer because we have inclement weather half of the year,” Coughlan says.
The pub’s current patio fits about 25 people. The additional space would allow for 40 patrons.
While the area is heavy on pedestrian traffic, Coughlan says the pros from expanding the patio outweigh the cons.
“I think the view is that it’s better for the neighbourhood,” he said. “I think it requires a little compromising on everyone’s part.”
Somerset Coun. Catherine McKenney, agrees that patios can be a good addition to a neighbourhood.
“They make a street vibrant and fun and increase eyes on the street,” McKenney said in an email to Centretown News.
But McKenney acknowledges that the pedestrian-heavy street may be more difficult to navigate with a narrower sidewalk outside the Clocktower.
Such conflicts prompted the city to conduct a study in recent years to weigh the benefits and drawbacks of restaurant patios.
Data collected during the Elgin Street patio project in 2013 to 2014 gave city officials insight into the concerns that pedestrians had about sidewalk encroachments, McKenney says.
The two-year project allowed several patios to open on the street and leave a sidewalk space of as little as 1.8 metres.
After the project, pedestrians submitted both positive and negative feedback about patios and the smaller sidewalk space, McKenney says.
“Many residents commented about how much they enjoyed sitting out on a patio on a warm summer night, and many businesses commented on how the patio was good for their business,” she said.
But some commented about issues such as wheelchairs not being able to pass, and people forced to walk on the street or in single file in order to pass by.
The planned Elgin Street reconstruction project may be the answer to the dilemma, says McKenney.
“(It) will be a great opportunity to build a street with wide sidewalks in order to accommodate pedestrians and patios,” she says.
Pedestrians on their lunch break on a recent day walking along Elgin Street voiced mixed opinions about patios infringing on their sidewalk space.
One pedestrian who works in a building near the restaurant says that patios obstruct sidewalk traffic.
“When you’re in a hurry like me and have only half an hour for lunch, you try to get somewhere and you can’t get through those people,” she said. “Already I find it’s an issue so to have more patios on the sidewalk I think would be even worse.”
The Elgin Street location of Clocktower Brew Pub opened its doors in 2015. The property once housed a Wendy’s franchise.
The local Clocktower chain has five pubs in locations such as Westboro and the Glebe.
This will be the first summer for its Elgin Street location.