Downtown Charlottetown could see more outdoor patios

Guardian photo by Nigel Armstrong

Victoria Row

There could be more outdoor restaurant patios and new rules for businesses that sell food out of trucks or carts in Charlottetown this summer.

City council gave first and second reading to its street vendors bylaw at its regular public monthly meeting on Monday night.

The process opens issues for debate although council referred proposed amendments to the street vendors bylaw to a committee of the whole meeting before going any further.

The proposed amendments to the bylaw would see an expanded geographical area for outdoor patios to operate in the downtown area. It would also allow council to set the number of parking spaces allocated for those patios.

A new bylaw would set definitions for food trucks, food carts and mobile canteens and designated where they can operate.

Amendments would also introduce a licensing system, outlining the cost of fees for licences and an increase in minimum liability insurance. There would be a new application form for those licences which would list areas of permitted operation. And, there would be a deadline to file those applications and renew licences.

The police committee recommended the changes.

There is certainly a very large demand for street food now, said Coun. Rob Lantz, chairman of planning and heritage.

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Downtown Charlottetown could see more outdoor patios