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More sidewalk cafes for Seattle

I love Paris in the springtime. I love Paris in the fall. I love Paris, oh why oh why do I love Paris? Because of all the sidewalk cafes they have there!

Spring has come to Seattle, finally (though it’s officially summer), and with that warmer weather, our mayor’s thoughts have turned to sidewalk cafes and why it is that our fair city is not teeming with them.

small_paris_sidewalk_cafe.jpg
Deux places, s'il vous plait.

Mayor Greg Nickels says the current permitting process for sidewalk cafes is too costly, confusing and time-consuming.

Nickels sent a proposal to the city council this afternoon that recommends housing sidewalk cafe permitting within one agency, the Seattle Department of Transportation (as it is now, DPD and SDOT shuttle them back and forth).

It also recommends simplifying the permit review process to achieve a 10-day turn-around and reducing the permit’s cost by nearly $1,700.

The proposal also recommends establishing design standards for the cafes, including accessibility guidelines, and recommends allowing the cafes in all areas where restaurants and grocery stores are permitted.

The city of Seattle currently has 225 sidewalk cafes, about one for every 3,000 Seattleites.

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This entry was posted by Shawna Gamache on Tuesday, June 24th, 2008 at 4:31 pm and is filed under Planning, Zoning. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.

  • susan kelly

    Every time I walk down Post Alley I think it’s a lost opportunity for a european style cafe street, with tables running down the center. It wants to be small and charming, but alas – it lost out to parking garages and cars…..

  • Ben K

    I think there are certain places that work best for sidewalk cafes, which do add to the city’s ambiance. But Seattle isn’t Paris and I would hate to see them sprout up everywhere as they hinder the public right of way. Look at Capitol Hill or Belltown where eating establishments have installed permanent enclosures that take up most of the sidewalk, forcing pedestrians to crowd or walk on the street. And, in the winter no one wants to sit outside so they remain empty.

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