
An extended patio and a sidewalk letdown in the 200-block of Victoria Street in downtown Kamloops. (Photo via City of Kamloops)
The City of Kamloops has approved new guidelines for a sidewalk patio program that will be implemented in commercial areas downtown and on Tranquille Road.
Planning and Development Manager Rod Martin says business owners will have to design and build their own removable extended sidewalk extensions, using guidelines put forward by the City.
“We will be working one on one with each patio application to make sure that accessibility standards are upheld, because that is the most important thing about it,” Martin said during Tuesday’s City Council meeting.
“The intent of these specifications is to provide some flexibility for the businesses to design the bypass sidewalks or parklets to suit their individual needs while ensuring these technical requirements are implemented to support a pedestrian friendly and accessible downtown for residents and visitors.”
He says they will also have to pay all construction and maintenance costs as well as $700 for each parking stall they occupy during the seven-month patio season from April to October.
“To help offset a portion of that additional expense for the businesses to construct their own bypass sidewalks, the first year 50 per cent of the annual fee will be waived,” Martin added. “The full annual fee will be applicable in subsequent years.”
The extended patio program was put in place in 2020 to help businesses stay afloat at a time when COVID-19 health orders meant restrictions on how many people could be indoors in a public place.
Patios initially had wooden sidewalk extensions, which were replaced with the brick extensions in 2021. All of the extended patios that were installed at the City’s expense were removed last year, in preparation for these new guidelines, a process which freed up about 40 metered parking spots downtown.
“This has struck a happy medium from having sidewalk restaurant areas which are actually activated and not having it just to have it,” Councillor Mike O’Reilly said of the new guidelines. He also said there may need to be enforcement to ensure the patios are set up and taken down appropriately.
“I think its a vast improvement on what we saw last year as we tried to tackle this challenging opportunity for the businesses in the downtown core,” Councillor Kelly Hall added, while also referencing the need for enforcement.
Martin said the City will follow up with business owners who fail to remove the sidewalk extensions in time, noting it won’t be an issue if they’re set up or taken down a few weeks before or after the seven-month patio season.
“If one is just remained in place and hasn’t been taken down and we have snow on the ground, we’re going to be following up with them to get it removed,” Martin said.
The City says it will be up to business owners to decide if extended sidewalk patios are worth the investment. If its not, they also have the option of the “much cheaper” standard patios that do not take up any parking spots.
“Safety and accessibility is number one and then its the aesthetics and the layout,” Martin said. “We haven’t been prescriptive on ‘you must make the railings look like this and the ramps look like this.’ We’re giving them flexibility on that.”
He also said it will be up to the business owners to ensure that their patios comply with the applicable laws and regulations around the sale of food and alcoholic drinks.
“They’ll have to do the standard liability insurance that would cover any liability with the operation of the patio,” Martin said.
“The Liquor and Cannabis Regulation Branch would have to look at whether they’re willing to extend the red lined area out into a patio in a parking stall. We don’t control that. Nobody has chosen to do that in Kamloops yet, but other cities do have it.”
KCBIA expects about a dozen patios in 2024
Howie Reimer, the executive director of the Kamloops Central Business Improvement Association says he expects there will be about a dozen extended patios set up for this year’s patio season.
“[City staff have] taken the model from Kingston and modified it,” Reimer said at Council Tuesday.
He also said a majority of non-restaurant businesses that responded to a recent KCBIA survey were in favour of the extended patio program, with parking the biggest reason why some downtown businesses were opposed.
“Each [patio] may take up a couple of parking stalls. I think if its done right, it really adds to the vibrancy,” Reimer added. “North Vancouver along Lonsdale also has it. Really cool spaces, and it really adds to the district I don’t see any reason why this wouldn’t go ahead [in Kamloops].”
Reimer says a majority of non-restaurant businesses that responded to a recent KCBIA survey were in favour of the extended patio program.
He also said parking was the biggest reason why some businesses were not in favour of the program, which is set to run between April and October.
“Its not without some growing pains and so forth and I imagine that’s anywhere they put it in,” Reimer said. “But we need to respect the businesses that do want their parking but in the same token, I think we can find a balance.”
You can find Martin’s report to council as well as the new patio guidelines here.