Category Pop-up Retail Display and Vending   Show all

  • Background - Pop-up Retail Display and Vending

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    With limited indoor capacities during the COVID-19 pandemic, the City gave the opportunity to retailers to expand their sales capacity by issuing café seating style permit to allow them to sell their merchandise on the sidewalk as part of the 2022 Patio Innovation Program. To allow a pop-up retail vending program in perpetuity, amendments to the City’s Use and Care of Roads By-law are required. Staff are working to develop a clear and simplified approach to permit pop-up retail display and vending within the ROW. Simplified alternative approaches to allow for limited daily retail display and vending in the ROW are being reviewed and evaluated to provide a more appropriate solution for business operators going forward. Staff will be engaging with the public, retail community and internal stakeholders to develop appropriate standards and process for pop-up retail display and vending. Given the outcomes of this review, staff will propose either a new pilot program for 2023 with subsequent reporting or permanent amendments to the Use and Care of Roads By-law.

  • Proposed Regulations - Pop-up Retail Display and Vending

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    Proposed Additional Regulations for Pop-up Retail Display and Vending within the Right of Way


    Anyone wishing to display or vend retail goods within the right of way will be subject to the following:

    A signed letter of acknowledgement must be provided to the City before displaying or vending goods within the right of way

    To help with the tracking of these locations to ensure pedestrian clear ways and space allocations are met.

    Retail display and vending is not permitted within 2.0 metres of the inside sidewalk edge, inside curb edge, or roadway edge where no curb exists.

    To ensure:

    -Roadways and sidewalks remain clear and visibility is maintained.

    -People parked along City streets have an available area to enter or exit a vehicle.

    -City snow clearing and maintenance operations are not impeded.

    -A two (2.0) metre pedestrian clearway is maintained.

    Retail display and vending is limited to a daily basis and must be removed on a nightly basis.

    Retail display and vending must be removed on a nightly basis as this type of vending is to be temporary in nature.

    No permanent structures are permitted to support retail display and vending.

    To ensure that sidewalks are free and clear as required to allow for operational maintenance.

    Retail display and vending may only be permitted within the ROW abutting the subject commercial establishment.

    To ensure the retail display and vending is monitored and controlled by the commercial operator and so as not to encumber other business frontages.

    Retail display and vending will only be permitted abutting a commercial zoning designation in accordance with the Zoning By-law as amended.

    It is proposed to limit the permission for retail display to commercially zoned locations; as this is in conformance with the intent of the program and may not be appropriate in a residential zoning designation.

    Retail display and vending will be limited in area to a maximum of 5 square metres per commercial business frontage. This area may not impede the 2 metre pedestrian clearway.

    This is an appropriate scale for a temporary daily pop-up approach to retail display and vending.

    Retail display and vending must be located on a hard and level surface within the right-of-way

    This will ensure safe usage and viewing of products by patrons.

    Commercial operators of pop-up retail display and vending will be required to provide the necessary liability insurance as required and to the satisfaction of the City.

    This is a standard requirement.
    Corner lots - Retail display and vending will not be permitted within the area shown below:


    		 To help ensure the safe movement of vehicles, cyclists and pedestrians at intersections. The same condition is currently found in the City of Ottawa’s Zoning and Fence By-laws related to the maximum height of visibility triangles for corner lots.