City of Vancouver approves 47 temporary restaurant patios; 23 more under review

The City of Vancouver has approved 47 temporary patios since it put in place an expedited process for patio approvals on June 1.

Restaurant owners who were forced to close dining rooms between mid-March and mid-May were asking the city for a simpler and speedier process to approve patios, and they were rewarded when council voted for the program in late May.  The city is also waiving application and permit fees. 

The rise of these patios is partly why B.C.'s provincial health officer, Bonnie Henry, on June 10 issued an order that allows restaurants to operate at more than 50% capacity. 

"Instead of a blanket 50%, what we now are requiring is that every restaurant, pub or bar has to identify a number for their capacity that includes the patios," she said. "This was one of the complicating things. As you're expanding your patio, how do we know what number to use?"

Data that the city released June 12 showed 41 patios approved on public property and another six patios approved on private property. Staff are reviewing 13 patio applications on public property and 10 that are on private property.  It has determined that applications for 31 patios on public property are outside the scope of the program and are not under active review. 

That means that there have been 101 applications for new or expanded temporary patios since the city put in place a new expedited process. 

On June 11, council approved a series of steps to expand the temporary expedited patio program to now include patios on private properties.

Unlike patios on public property, which can be approved by the city within two business days, patios on private property require a more comprehensive application and building review. City staff expect permits for private property to be available by the end of the month with approval granted within five business days for patios that do not require construction.

The new temporary-patio program separately,  for the first time, enables craft breweries, wineries and distilleries to apply for a patio licence but so far those businesses may only apply for a patio on public space – something that has so far frustrated entrepreneurs such as Container Brewing principal Terry Brown. He told Buisness in Vancouver last month that he would like to convert three or four parking spots on his property at 1216 Franklin Street, in an industrial area in East Vancouver, into a patio large enough to accommodate up to 20 people.

The city, pending council approval, plans to have a public hearing on June 30 that would seek feedback on whether to allow breweries, wineries and distillers to have temporary patios on private property. If the proposed bylaw is passed, it will enable operators to apply for approval for a temporary patio permit on private property that would be valid until October 31.

Here are the patio locations where applications have so far been approved:

[email protected]

@GlenKorstrom