Ottawa studies pop-up street patios, sidewalk extensions

Councillorswhorepresent Elgin Street and the ByWard Market have asked City of Ottawa staff to study new ways to fit patios onto sidewalks and streets.

Oneideais to replaceon-street parking spots with a raised patio, while another is toextend the sidewalk onto the street with a temporary boardwalk.

"It goes back to taking the public space and thinking about how tore-portionit so that it's fair for everyone," said Somerset councillorCatherineMcKenney.

Patios that extend from a buildingfacademust leave2.4 metres ofpublic sidewalk space with some exceptions for a minimum of1.8 metres, according to the City of Ottawa.

ThomasMcVeigh,owner ofShareFreehouseon Somerset Street, said there would beenough space for a patio and afull sidewalk ifthe sidewalk werepushed out into the curb parking area.

"There's a natural piece of real estate right there called 'parking,'" he said."I think what it comes down to most of the time is thatwe're prioritizing parking over liveliness of our streets."

McVeigh, who is also the president of the Centretown Citizens Community Association, said pressures for more sidewalk space are especially evident on Elgin Street, where there are parks, a community centre and a major museum.

"There's a lot of reasons why we need wider sidewalks there. It's not just so that people can get to the bars it's one of our main streets for our community," he said.

The results of the study, requested byMcKenney along withRideau-Vanier councillorMathieu Fleury, are expected in June.