Council approved amendments to the Right of Way Patio By-law

Council approved amendments to the Right of Way Patio By-law in advance of the 2023 patio season, notably:

• All right-of-way patios will be permitted to stay open until 2 am, with all patios also being subject to the City’s Noise By-law.
• A cap will be lifted on seating permits for Café Seating patios, to permit as many tables as space allows.
• Reference will be added to the Tree Protection By-law to allow review of the potential impact a new patio might have on City trees.
• Winter maintenance provisions will be added to ensure owners maintain their spaces free of snow and ice and to prohibit using patio spaces for seasonal storage.
• Notification for new patio applications will be circulated only to property owners within 30 metres, rather than 90 metres, to align with noise and zoning by-law notifications.

As part of this report, Council also approved the Urban Design Guidelines for Commercial Patios, a resource that will aid in the review of commercial patio proposals on both private property and in the right-of-way. The guidelines provide design details on subjects such as furniture, partitions and vegetation.