Philadelphia City Council 2021 Stated Meetings of Philadelphia City Council, 30 Sep 2021

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From YouTube: Councilmember Domb Introduces Legislation To Establish Permanent Outdoor Seating Citywide 9-30-2021

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From the Stated Meeting of Philadelphia City Council held Thursday, September 30, 2021:

Councilmember Allan Domb (At Large) introduced a pair of bills that would establish new regulations to allow for permanent outdoor dining across every city neighborhood, providing oversight and enforcement for sidewalk cafes and streeteries.

More: https://phlcouncil.com/councilmember-domb-introduces-legislation-to-establish-permanent-outdoor-seating-citywide/

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uh Thank you council president good morning. uh Thank you, colleagues, the opportunity to speak today about the two bills, I'm introducing that would create a citywide process for permanent licensing of outdoor dining spaces, both on our sidewalks and on our streets across the city of philadelphia.

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With the emergency approvals expiring at the end of this year, 2021 we need to establish legislation that would continue this great city amenity that we've enjoyed as a result of the pandemic.

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Restaurants of all sizes, all over the city and every neighborhood have utilized this opportunity and because of it, they were able to keep their doors open, keeping employees working in the hospitality industry all while continuing to overcome the tremendous challenges of the pandemic and still maintaining a safe and healthy environment.

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I've spoken with many of you about how we can work to expand usage, especially to our corridors outside of center city in all the neighborhoods, and use these restaurants as anchoring businesses and create exciting spaces for our residents.

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These bills would amend our code regulating sidewalk, cafes and commercial activities on streets by providing an equal opportunity for restaurants to participate in outdoor dining options. Citywide, while creating a greater level of safety, accountability, transparency and enforcement through a permanent licensing option, this would include requiring all applicants to publicly post their application for a sidewalk cafe or streetery for at least 10 days. In order to obtain the license.

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Public notification notification gives citizens, neighborhood organizations and council members an opportunity to relay any concern to the streets department in illinois prior to a decision on the license.

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The legislation also addresses public safety, traffic flow transit needs and bike lanes for all streeters, providing guidance for the streets department and illinois to enforce as needed, along with providing accountability and enforcement tools. These bills will provide the city with the authority to remove any structure that is not up to code and or is not being used as a streetery or sidewalk capping space these bills were developed in close coordination with the administration, the pennsylvania, restaurant lodging association, the business improvement districts and business corridors throughout the city, disability advocates, civic associations and other stakeholders.

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I want to thank everyone, especially my colleagues, I've spoken to almost all of you about this bill. I want to thank you for your input. Support and for your work to help our businesses thrive, as our city makes its way back. I look forward to discussing these bills in the committee, and I welcome you all to join me anytime, for dinner, anywhere and and everywhere all over the city. I think it's exciting it's a way that makes us different by having this outdoor dining.

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So I will look forward to working with everyone and I appreciate the time. Thank you, council president.