Transportation Commissioner Mingus Mapps has presented the Portland Bureau of Transportation’s (PBOT) proposed Outdoor Dining Program to Portland City Council. The program would replace the Healthy Business Permit program, which began in 2020 as an emergency response to the pandemic. It allowed for free, temporary permits with relaxed conditions for restaurants, retailers and others to shift to outdoor spaces.
The new, permanent Outdoor Dining Program will consist of annual Sidewalk Café permits and Street Seats permits (seasonal and annual options) that allow the use of parking spaces. Community groups and businesses seeking to use the full width of a street from curb to curb can inquire with PBOT about partnering with the bureau’s program for Portland Public Street Plazas.
Through formal feedback and stakeholder engagement, business and community members have voiced safety, accessibility and aesthetic concerns with the current outdoor dining installations. The new program intends to address critical issues such as installations blocking visibility of stop signs, drivers unable to see people walking around large, opaque structures, inaccessible sidewalks from overbuilt furniture, storm drain blockages and the aesthetic implications of neglected, non-compliant installations.
The Outdoor Dining Program Report was presented to City Council at the end of August. As proposed, the Outdoor Dining Program will allow businesses to continue to use sidewalks and parking lanes for outdoor dining. However, to improve safety, accessibility and livability issues, the new program will have some changes.
To improve the visibility and turning movements of vehicles, clear setbacks from intersections will be required and any wall enclosures must be transparent. The height of the walls allowed will be reduced as well to increase visibility of people walking in the area. Covered installations approaching stop signs will be prohibited to allow visibility of stop signs and pedestrians; low-height (uncovered) installations will be allowed. Over-sidewalk structures will be prohibited to remove sidewalk barriers and improve visibility of storefronts.
The Healthy Business Permit program operated with no fees in 2020, 2021 and most of 2022. For the 15-month permit cycle launched in 2022, an annual $150 application fee plus a $500 parking space fee was required for all installations. The Outdoor Dining Program will include an updated fee schedule to generate the funds needed to sustain the program.
If approved by City Council, businesses can start applying for Outdoor Dining Program permits in mid-October. New permits would become effective January 1, 2024 and be valid for 12 months.