By Hugo Rodrigues
Merchants on Preston Street are hoping sidewalk patios will be a first step towards making their street a more pleasant place to visit in the summer.
Unless you’re from Ottawa, theres nothing nice about the street, says Joe Catronia, owner of Pub Italia, in explaining why he is asking the region if he can put a patio on the sidewalk in front of his restaurant located on Preston Street near Pamilla Street.
The patio would cover the entire space of the current sidewalk, requiring the region to modify the sidewalk so it turns into the parking lane and then merges with the existing sidewalk on the other side of the pub.
Catronia explains that What it does over a number of years is change the look of the street, which will entice more people to stop on Preston Street and attract more business.
The idea came about as a result of a visit to Kingston in the summer of 1998, where he saw this practice used successfully by many businesses.
The zig-zag sidewalks give the street a friendlier look for pedestrians and cyclists due to its wider sidewalks which create niches, allowing for single-car or bicycle parking spaces.
If approved, Catronias application will be a pilot project to see if the concept could work on Preston Street.
The Preston Street Business Improvement Association which includes both Somerset city Coun. Elisabeth Arnold and regional Coun. Diane Holmes as members support the plan, though they do have some concerns.
One of the important issues is to make sure patios don’t affect residential neighbourhoods, Arnold says.
This summer both councillors received complaints from residents when Sala San Marco extended a patio around the corner of Preston Street onto Willow Street.
While the patio itself was not regulated by the city because it was on the Salas own property, it violated a city bylaw stating that patios cannot be located within 30 metres of a residential zone.
Both councillors are certain there wont be a repeat of that situation when Catronia opens his sidewalk patio.
Unofficially, there havent been any objections as long as they face Preston, says Holmes.
The region will be holding a public consultation so residents in the area can voice their opinions regarding Pub Italias application.
As well, the region has a consultant assigned to study the idea to look at overall feasibility and make sure that the number of parking spaces in the area are not reduced.
The region is counting on the city to build new parking lots in the area to compensate for parking metres that will be removed when the patios are built.
The hope is that the patios, together with an archway announcing the Corso Italia and Preston Street to those driving North from Dows Lake and the light rail station proposed for Carling, will bring more business to the area.
In the long run, the business improvement association hopes increased business will also result in higher residential interest in the area.
If there are no objections, the first sidewalk patio could be built some time next summer.