PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Philadelphia City Council is considering keeping the rules that allowed "streeteries" and other outdoor dining configurations to pop up during the coronavirus pandemic. However, the process of deciding which restaurants would be able to get an outdoor dining permit is still under discussion.
The issue could be decided by Council vote as early as next month, but several amendments have been added to the original bill that could make the application process more difficult for certain communities and areas of the city that are already struggling.
The city gave many restaurants and other businesses a lifeline during the pandemic when they streamlined the process of applying for outdoor dining permits. Nathan Hummel, director of planning and design for University City District, says he remembers how difficult and time consuming the process used to be.
Hummel spearheaded the parklet project in 2011 that extended sidewalk seating past the curb. The first one went up in front of the Green Line Cafe at 43rd Street and Baltimore Avenue.
"I know firsthand that it was challenging to get approval for parklets in West Philadelphia before the pandemic," Hummel said. "This was due mainly to needing a Council ordinance for any outdoor dining."
That means restaurants had to request specific legislation to serve customers outside. And now, some members of City Council argue that the process should go back that way.
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Councilmember David Oh says while it was important to expedite permitting during the pandemic, he wants to require a council ordinance again so the city can address any issues that might arise from the use of parking spaces for restaurant seating.
"The congestion is atrocious. The parking is impossible," Oh said. "It's just a thing a lot of people avoid and I don't think that's a good thing, when people avoid going to our commercial areas."
Oh says requiring businesses to get an ordinance gives residents, neighbors and others a chance to weigh in on the decision.
"I don't think this is an issue about streeteries, yes or no. I think this is an issue of streeteries and the process of streeteries -- who gets a say?" Oh said.
But Old City District Executive Director Job Itzkowitz argues as long as Council makes standard rules that are evenly applied, councilmembers don't need to be bogged down with individual decisions about who is granted a permit and who is not.
"Such mechanics are best reserved to an administration which administers the law drafted by this body. No restaurant should be required to obtain individual legislation simply to put a table and chairs outside of their doors," he said.
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The bill currently before Council could allow provisions for certain commercial corridors to receive permits faster, but Itzkowitz says that preferential treatment would only increase disparities in the city.
"I can't help but wonder, what about the small-business owner who can't afford the higher rent of the nearest commercial corridor? What about the residents located in an area without a bustling nearby commercial corridor? Why should they be deprived of the opportunities of their fellow Philadelphians to dine outside in a nearby restaurant? Where is the equity in that?"
Jennifer Rodriguez, president and CEO of the Greater Philadelphia Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, who also remembers how hard it was to get the city to allow businesses to serve people outdoors before the pandemic, says it is vital to many communities that the new rules remain -- and that they be applied fairly.
"Representing businesses in diverse communities, it's crucial that the process for applying for new streeteries be equitable," she said.
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