5 issues to watch as Chicago revives its outdoor dining program
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In 2020, Fulton Street in Fulton Market was closed to traffic to accommodate outdoor dining. Photo: Taylor Glascock/Bloomberg via Getty Images
This week, the City Council unanimously approved an ordinance making permanent the pandemic-era outdoor dining program.
Context: In spring 2020, Chicago created temporary rules allowing restaurants and bars to expand their outdoor spaces, in some cases taking over city streets.
- The program expired last year after the council disagreed on former Mayor Lori Lightfoot's similar proposal to make the changes permanent.
The intrigue: Mayor Brandon Johnson has succeeded where Lightfoot did not — by giving control of outdoor dining permits to local alderpeople.
- The new ordinance gives the alderperson the right to shut down streets for outdoor spaces, not unlike what we saw on Clark Street downtown during the pandemic.
State of play: Chicago is a step ahead of New York and Los Angeles in making these pandemic programs permanent.
- It's a big win for restaurant owners, who have complained they need the extra space to recoup the revenue lost during the pandemic. And the move has been lauded by several business groups and associations.
Yes, but: How will we avoid the same pitfalls faced in other cities?
- Here are some lingering questions as the city revives its outdoor dining program:
Right of way
Chicago touts itself as a pedestrian- and bike-friendly city, while also being desirable for drivers. Even before the pandemic, we saw several neighborhoods grapple with patios blocking sidewalks.
- But the temporary rules in 2020 let restaurants go even closer to the curb. Now that they're permanent, will these dining spaces obstruct more commutes, particularly along streets already gridlocked by construction traffic?
Rats and pest control
The one thing we did learn from the pandemic is that rats like eating outside, too. The uptick in rat sightings surged when restaurants moved outdoors.
- Will the city be increasing pest control budgets as more restaurants and diners bask in the warm weather?
Aldermanic control
Johnson won a political battle by giving control back to alders, something his predecessor tried to take away. Lightfoot ran on the issue of breaking up the power centers of local alders, even going as far as to attempt to end their authority over zoning.
- Now that Johnson has given some of that control back, how much power is too much?
Abandoned sheds
The pandemic rules led to several restaurants building shed-like dining structures on sidewalks. In New York, the city is grappling with an uptick in abandoned sheds.
- The problem's not as widespread here, but some exist in higher turnover neighborhoods like the West Loop, which has an empty shed outside the now-shuttered Little Goat Diner.
- How will the city prevent these structures from being abandoned?
Fairness
As Monica pointed out in a recent article about outdoor dining, some non-restaurant businesses in the area felt left out.
- The new rules say that if multiple restaurants are located on one specific block, they can petition the alderman to get the street closed off for outdoor dining.
Yes, but: How much say will other business owners on that block have?
What's ahead: Axios will be watching these issues play out. But we want to know what you think. Tell us what Chicago leaders should be considering when it comes to expanding al fresco.