The City of Welland looks ahead and continues to support local restaurants and retail businesses by extending the 2020 streamlined approval process for temporary outdoor patios and adding outdoor displays for 2021.

In 2020, Staff issued fourteen (14) approvals for new or expanded outdoor patios on public or private properties, four (4) of these approvals were for outdoor patios on public lands, while ten (10) were for outdoor patios on private property. “Business owners were pleased with the efficient approval process as most approvals were issued in less than 24 hours,” said Grant Munday, Interim Director of Development and Building Services.

“Recognizing the impacts of COVID-19 will be realized further into 2021, extending Council approved initiatives from 2020 into the 2021 calendar year is another step forward for our community,” said Mayor Frank Campion. “Adding outdoor displays for retailers to the temporary outdoor patio exemption process will support more local businesses.”

The following temporary city initiatives will be in effect for 2021:

• Temporary patios and/or outdoor displays permitted on private property that comply with city guidelines.
• Road occupancy permit fees waived for businesses for the 2021 calendar year related to patio installation and/or outdoor displays.
• Cash-in-lieu of parking requirement for outdoor patios at $0 per parking space for the remainder of 2021, where there is a need to convert required parking spaces into a temporary outdoor patio. Applicants will be required to enter into an agreement with the City of Welland.
• Site plan exemption fees waived for outdoor patios and/or outdoor displays for businesses
• Existing approved outdoor patios and outdoor displays on private property are permitted to continue without the need for additional approval from the City, unless there is a proposal  to enlarge and/or create a new patio

For more information regarding patios on public sidewalks or parking spaces and outdoor displays, contact 905-735-1700 Ext. 2212 or email traffic@welland.ca

For more information on City of Welland COVID-19 recovery, visit welland.ca.