Here's where Vancouver's first 47 approved temporary patios will be located

As of Friday, the City of Vancouver says it has approved and issued a total of 47 temporary expedited patio permits to restaurants, bars, and pubs.

The application period began on June 1, and so far the municipal government has received 101 applications. To help support businesses during the dire economic challenges, there is no cost to the application and permitting process.

• See also:
  • This is what Vancouver’s temporary expedited patios look like
  • BC restaurants, bars no longer limited to 50% capacity for dine-in patrons
  • Vancouver to introduce temporary pop-up plazas and parklets

Of the applications that have already been approved, 41 are on public spaces such as city-owned sidewalks and curbside parking lanes, while the remaining six are on privately owned public spaces such as private sidewalks.

There are currently 23 applications under review, including 13 public patios and 10 private patios.

Of the total, city staff have rejected or asked for resubmissions for 31 applications.

Template of a large sidewalk patio. (City of Vancouver)

These totals do not include 18 patio applications on private property, such as on ground-level parking of a brewery or a strip mall.

In a meeting Thursday night, Vancouver City Council approved new steps to expand the temporary expedited patio program to include patios on private property, but this will not happen immediately.

While patios on public property can be approved within two business days, assuming all requirements are met, the city says patios on private property require a “more comprehensive application and building review.”

City staff are aiming for private property temporary patio permit applications to be available by the end of this month, with approval provided within five business days for patios that do not require construction.

Breweries, wineries, and distilleries will not know about their ability to install patios until June 30, when a public hearing is scheduled over the proposed bylaw change.

The city says it will work with breweries, wineries, and distilleries to prepare applications. Similarly, those that complete development applications that do not require any construction can expect to receive their patio permit on private property within five business days.

Template of a curbside parking space patio. (City of Vancouver)

For weeks, businesses have advocated for the urgent ability to install patios on sidewalks and curbside parking lanes to provide them with spillover dining capacity, given that BC’s provincial health officer mandated a 50% dining capacity limit to support physical distancing. These food and beverage businesses with table service have been operating under these requirements for the past three weeks under BC’s restart plan.

However, on Thursday, the provincial health officer announced that the blanket 50% restrictions will be lifted, instead requiring restaurants, pubs, and bars to develop and define their own capacities based on their unique spatial conditions. This could particularly benefit businesses with a smaller indoor dining space, and potentially reduce their reliance on making up for the lost capacity with patios.

For businesses pursuing the patio option, the city provided template patio drawings for use in their online application to help expedite their process.

Here is the list of restaurants, bars, and pubs with approved temporary flexible patios as of today:

• See also:
  • This is what Vancouver’s temporary expedited patios look like
  • BC restaurants, bars no longer limited to 50% capacity for dine-in patrons
  • Vancouver to introduce temporary pop-up plazas and parklets