City of Vancouver approves 30 more temporary patios in past week

City of Vancouver staff continue to rapidly approve temporary patios, with 30 new such patio approvals in the past week, the city said July 24.

That makes 290 approved patios under the Temporary Expedited Patio Program (TEPP), which was put in place on June 1 with the intent being to allow Vancouver restaurants to serve more customers safely by having larger outdoor spaces. A week ago there were 260.

The vast majority of those newly approved temporary patios, or 232, are on public land, while 58 are private patios, according to the city. Approved patios have permits to operate until October 31, and the city is waiving application and permit fees. 

Another 15 patios are under review, with seven of those from entrepreneurs eager to expand onto public land, and the rest aiming to have patios on private land. The city has also received 103 applications that its staff has deemed to be outside the scope of the program. 

Restaurant owners who were forced to close dining rooms between mid-March and mid-May asked 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 on June 30 newly approved the ability for businesses with craft brewery licences to apply for patios – something those brewers had long sought. Craft breweries that previously received patio permits, such as Yaletown Brewing Co., had restaurant licences.

"The city has a mechanism in place for private property patios now, which is great, and once that happened, it was pretty pain-free," Container Brewing principal Terry Brown told BIV on July 24.

He installed a patio on his own property where there previously were some parking stalls. It has eight tables that can accommodate a maximum of six people each, but he said the average group per table is two to four.

(Image: Container Brewing co-owner Terry Brown sits outside his brewery in May, before the city had approved his patio | Rob Kruyt)

Having the patio has likely helped his hospitality business be double what it would have been without a patio. The main part of the business, however, remains as packaged beer. 

Like many business owners, Brown is concerned about the fall.

"I don't think we'll be in much of a different position in terms of what phase [of reopening] we will be in, and if anything we could be going backwards," he said. 

Jessie Adcock, the city’s general manager of development, buildings and licensing, said a dedicated team is reviewing applications as soon as the city receives them.

“Businesses who meet the mandatory requirements can expect to receive their permit within two business days of submitting their completed application for patios on a public property, and within five days for patios on private property that do not require construction” he said.

Here is the city's full list of patios approved under the program:

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