PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — With sunnier days on their way to Portland, you might be looking forward to outdoor dining in the weeks to come.
The City of Portland is thinking about outdoor dining too, especially the seating created during the pandemic. The Portland Transportation Bureau told KOIN 6 News that outdoor dining is here to stay — but the question remains as to what changes need to be made to make it safer.
To help answer this, the city is asking residents to take part in an online survey to get feedback on what changes should occur.
The outdoor tables and seating mushroomed during the pandemic when the city quickly okayed it to help keep restaurants afloat with limited or no seating inside.
The city used federal dollars to help fund some of it and to oversee it. Now businesses have to pay for those outdoor seating permits.
Portland is looking at changing design guidelines to make the areas safer for diners, walkers, cyclists even cars driving by. Transportation advocates agree it’s time to keep a closer eye on this.
The city is looking at improvements that could include more open space rather than closed areas with roofs, freeing up areas near intersections, possible hour restrictions in certain areas due to noise complaints, better access for disabled people to pass by and more support for structures that can withstand the weather.
PBOT also told KOIN 6 to expect outdoor dining permit fees to go up as federal subsidies wind down.