Yesterday, Toronto City Council made two city-wide zoning bylaw amendments permanent that will allow local restaurants and bars to continue using more spaces on private property for outdoor dining. Council also expanded the use of eligible patios on private property to ensure they can be activated for entertainment such as performances, music and dancing.
“By this time next summer, thanks to today’s zoning changes, Toronto will have an abundance of outdoor patios for residents and visitors to enjoy,” said Mayor Olivia Chow.
Calling Toronto one of the great outdoor dining cities in North America, Chow said, “by enabling more opportunities for people to gather in their communities, we’re demonstrating that we’re here to support small businesses and the restaurant industry”.
To help local businesses recover from the pandemic, temporary bylaw changes were made in 2020 to allow local restaurant operators to expand patios into other areas on private property that would not normally be allowed (such as parking lots). This enabled restaurant operators to increase outdoor dining space, generate more revenue and protect jobs. Those temporary zoning amendments were set to expire at the end of this year. The ability to activate parts of the space for entertainment is new and contributes to more welcoming, vibrant and social experiences for all.
Council also adopted several site-specific updates to enable the continued use of patios that have previously performed well. For example, the site on 229 Richmond St. W. is a large multi-purpose outdoor patio with recreational uses that benefit the community including use of the volleyball court, pickleball court, an ice rink and a small entertainment area for live music. Additionally, Council voted in favour of identifying patios that no longer require special consideration to operate.
Enabling more private space to be used for permanent outdoor dining complements the successful and transformative CaféTO sidewalk and curb lane program streams that allowed more than 1,000 businesses to offer their customers outdoor dining on public property during the summer 2023 season.
The changes approved by Council reflect significant public consultation work performed by City staff to ensure that noise bylaws and visual privacy are maintained. For example, performances, music and dancing can only be on private patios that are along a major street and on the first floor of the business, and by design, entertainment must be kept to a manageable size. Changes also considered outdoor patio regulations from other jurisdictions.
