Burlington Council Approves City-Wide Patio Program
*Please see below a news release issued by the City of Burlington.
Burlington, Ont. — Feb. 26, 2024 — Burlington City Council has approved a new permanent city-wide seasonal outdoor patio program starting this spring. Council also approved reestablishing fees for temporary patios on public lands. These fees were waived during the COVID-19 pandemic to help businesses recover.The City’s patio guidelines are now available on the City’s website and the application forms will be available when City staff start accepting applications in early March. Applicants are encouraged to make sure they understand all the requirements and fees and can start to gather any information they need to apply. Owners planning to open their patio by April 15 are encouraged to submit their application by March 15.
"Our outdoor patios are well loved and used by visitors and residents alike. We took what we learned during the COVID-19 pandemic and expanded it to create beautiful, pedestrian-friendly and accessible outdoor spaces on both private and public lands across Burlington. I’m thrilled we finally have a permanent outdoor patio program for our city, after modifying our pilot program over the years to make this the best it can be. On Council, we also did our best to reduce costs for operators to ensure success of the program as our restaurant community continues the long journey to recovery after COVID." -- Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward
Council also approved city-wide zoning amendments to encourage more dining on outdoor patios located on private property. These zoning changes allow business owners to open or expand a patio on private property quickly by:
- Getting permission from the property owner,
- Complying with new zoning regulations in Zoning By-law 2020.463, as amended and
- Planning for structures that do not require a building permit.
To qualify, businesses must:
- Not serve liquor,
- Not require site plan approval and
- Not require building permits.
Patios on private property will need to get approval from the City of Burlington if:
- They are serving liquor. Owners must fill out a temporary liquor licence application for an extension of an existing licensed area. New application forms will be available in early March. These forms will be part of a streamlined process for temporary liquor licence expansions for temporary patios. The City of Burlington charges a base fee of $99 to process the application for a temporary liquor licence expansion.
- They are installing a tent with a footprint larger than 20 square metres.
For more information, visit burlington.ca/patios or contact staff at patios@burlington.ca with questions.
"As we look forward to patio season, we’re working to finalize a patio program that benefits business owners and operators and contributes to vibrancy across the city. Residents and business owners shared their experiences with seasonal patios and told us what they liked and what changes were needed. This was so helpful in developing the program that was presented to Burlington City Council. We want to continue to help support local business and this updated patio program means business owners can get their patio permits when they need them. As we roll out our city-wide patio guidelines and structure, we will monitor and refine this program as needed to best serve our community." -- Kyle Plas, Manager of Community Planning Development & Design, City of Burlington
BackgroundLast fall, the City of Burlington posted an online survey for residents, current patio operators and businesses on the City-wide patio program Get Involved page. The results of this survey helped staff create new guidelines for patios and temporary tents.The new guidelines:
- provide design direction to business operators,
- think of pedestrians, cyclists and motorists,
- create consistent rules, regulations and design for patios and
- create a new, streamlined process to apply for a patio permit for operators.
The City introduced patios in 2015 under the Pop-Up Patio Program in the downtown core. During the City’s COVID-19 response, the Temporary Outdoor Patios Program was approved by Council.For more information, visit burlington.ca/patios or getinvolvedburlington.ca/city-wide-patio-programBurlington is a city where people, nature and business thrive. Sign up to learn more about Burlington at burlington.ca/subscribe and follow @CityBurlington on social media.Links and Resources: