Patio season to extend to end of March in Victoria - Times Colonist

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A bylaw allowing businesses to temporarily expand their patios into public spaces has been extended to the end of March.
The Business Recovery from Pandemic Bylaw and related Build Back Victoria program, which permitted the patios so businesses could meet pandemic-related social distancing requirements, had been due to expire at the end of this month.
The program has been extended twice to help with economic recovery as the pandemic started to wane and restrictions were relaxed.
Alongside the extension, council — meeting for the final time Thursday before the Oct. 15 municipal election — streamlined the application process for patios and established a pilot project for a mobile vending business licence.
Businesses that have patios or want to extend their patio spaces have been told to expect more scrutiny and tighter rules under the next city council.
The city is preparing a report, expected in the new year, to look at many aspects of the bylaw, including times of day and seasons the patios are used and the way they are ­maintained.
Patios will need to be inspected before occupancy to ensure they’re accessible, clean and neat.
The city expects many of the temporary patio and outdoor spaces will be removed this fall, since several are not being used regularly.
There are currently 69­ permits under the Build Back ­Victoria program, including 53 for outdoor patios on public land and eight for patios on private land.
Patios not approved by the end of March through either the current or future bylaw would need to be removed at the cost of the business owner.
aduffy@timescolonist.com
Glacier Media Digital
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