The curbside outdoor dining program that Belfast started during the COVID-19 pandemic has continued to thrive since the health crisis ended, with the option of al fresco drinks and meals appealing to both residents and visitors.
But the city is now considering changes to the program after some business owners and residents have expressed frustration with it.
The debate is one example of how measures adopted as a public health precaution during the pandemic have reshaped Maine businesses and communities, in sometimes controversial ways.
Among the changes the city council is now considering are raising the fees for downtown businesses that want to participate in the program, which allows them to offer outdoor seating on two adjacent parking spaces — or possibly three, if the parking spots are angled in that location.
Councilors began considering those changes during a meeting on Tuesday night, as they prepare rules for this winter’s outdoor dining program.
Before their discussion, they heard a mix of testimony from residents and business owners. About a half dozen expressed concern with the program, arguing that it takes away parking spaces, obstructs entrances to businesses, and costs too little for the operations that do participate.
“My experience has been that curbside structures have been increasingly elaborate, out of the scale for downtown, and permanent in appearance, if not in fact,” said Vicki Tarbell, the owner of the Good Table kitchen store. “Some structures block more than two parking spaces, but whether they do or do not, so many spaces are now blocked that downtown parking is severely limited and shop profits severely limited as well.”
Tarbell also took issue with the $250 fee for a business to take up parking spaces for a period of six months — or $500 for a full year — arguing that “there is no comparable subsidy for any other retailer” when downtown rents are much higher than that.
But other residents argued that the outdoor dining has increased the flow of foot traffic through downtown and been a boon for local businesses. Among the businesses that have recently used it are Dos Gatos Gastropub, Alexia’s Pizza, Downshift Coffee, Fon’s Kitchen, Darby’s Restaurant, Vinoleo and Delvino’s. Since it first started, the program has been extended through the winter months. Downshift Coffee was the only participant last winter.
Councilors had mixed views on the program, but largely agreed that it should continue in the coming years with some amendments. Councilor Mary Mortier suggested that the program should be adjusted with higher fees, but she noted that it overall has been a success.
“We started this as a way to help businesses when COVID hit. What has happened, in reality, is that this has become a huge economic development tool that wasn’t our first thought when we first came up with this,” Mortier said. “It’s something that has evolved and grown out of the original concept, and people for the most part who come to town, or come to town because of it, love the curbside program.”
Other rules now in place for the program include that any outdoor structures may be allowed from 6 a.m. to 10 p.m., that they must be nonpermanent structures that can be broken down at any point and that they must sit on flat platforms.
The councilors will soon vote on proposed new fees of $750 next summer, and then potentially up to $1,000 in summer of 2026, according to City Manager Erin Herbig. Councilors also floated the idea of raising the winter fee to $500.
“For the value, I think $500 is a very low cost, so I’m fine with your $750 graduated to $1000,” Councilor Chris Bitely said. “I feel almost completely different about winter. I still think we still need that encouragement of economic activity in a way that we don’t in the summer.”
