Good news: Atlanta approves cafe seating on public sidewalks
City Council has unanimously approved cafe seating on public sidewalks in Atlanta. This (PAYWALLED) article from Atlanta Biz Chron has details.
Until now, it’s mostly been privately-owned areas where restaurants were able to have outdoor dining (yes, some businesses have been operating them on public right of way anyway).
With this ordinance, businesses can finally apply for use of public sidewalks for seating. This should add a lot of vibrancy and "eyes on the street" to the city -- good stuff.
Not every piece of sidewalk is eligible. To conform with the ordinance, seating has to leave at least five feet of clearance and can't be within six feet of a crosswalk, ADA ramp, or fire hydrant.
A few questions are sure to come up in the wake of this:
>> Will there now be a crackdown on outdoor dining that is non-conforming and unapproved?
>> Will businesses that sit on too-skinny sidewalks (or ones with utility poled blocking the way) start asking the city for improvements that allow them to legally take part in this?
>> Will the city now look at revising public vending rules?
Sidewalk life is good for the city. This move is worth celebrating, but we should also keep pushing for local leaders to help us reclaim some space for expanded sidewalks. Hopefully this is part of a cultural shift in Atlanta's understanding of the value of city streets as a part of our public domain that can benefit us in cultural ways.
Thanks to all the Community Improvement Districts (CIDs) that have been pushing for this move, and thanks to Councilmember Amir Farokhi for introducing it. It’s exciting to think that we may end up with more areas like the one pictured above on Broad Street in Downtown. Having tables and people and stores all together serves as a type of signifier of urban life. You look at this and think, “yep, this is what a city is supposed to look like.” It looks alive.
[Full Disclosure: ThreadATL's Lauren Norton Welsh serves as Executive Director of the Little Five Points CID which helped author and pass this legislation.]
