The Fishtown District, as part of Councilmember Domb, hospitality committee, wanted to provide an update regarding the streeteries program and the upcoming timeline. As many of you know, there was an Administrative Hearing on March 16th to discuss the previously posted regulations by the Kenney Administration. We were proud to provide input and suggestions during that hearing. The Administration is working to issue a final report and related regulations by May 2nd in which case, the new regulations will go into effect 10 days thereafter. At that time (May 12th assuming this stays on the anticipated timeline), the new application process will be open for restaurants to apply for the streetery license in the zones of the city where this process has been made available.
Remember: language described in the legislation stands and cannot be adjusted in the regulations (i.e. proximity to crosswalks, traffic signals, manholes and other safety related infrastructure is noted in the bill). Additionally, a streetery may not be located in a traffic lane, nor may it extend to an adjacent property.
Likely changes from the initial regulations:
- The previously required security bond of $60,000 will be removed, but should the City see issues with costs for streetery removal and street remediation, this bond requirement may reappear in the future;
- The annual license fee will likely be reduced from the initial proposal – the exact amount is still under review but the goal is to ensure neighborhood restaurants have an ability to afford this benefit;
- The requirements regarding securitization during inclement weather are likely to be removed, but the associated liability will be on the license holder;
- Some allowances for heating will likely be made available on a very limited basis – the use of mushroom-top heating possibly; you should not anticipate allowances for utility hookups;
- Lighting will likely be allowable with portable power sources but hanging them from the building to the streetery is not permissible as stated in current code regulations;
- The Administration is working towards having a streamlined list of options for layouts that meet regulations and it is anticipated that these will include crashworthy barriers with tables and chairs, or platforms that look more similar to the parklet program (i.e. an open air, transparent seating area where the building frontage is still visible);
We continue to welcome thoughts and ideas as this program goes into effect. This is a great opportunity for the Fishtown District and our restaurants to bring people together in our community and its success will be based upon our good stewardship of the program!
