Sidewalk patios or parking? Town of Collingwood debates at council

Councillors in the Town of Collingwood decide if they’ll put a pause on downtown Collingwood street patios to solve parking issue.

Town council has conflicting opinions on how Collingwood should fix its lack of parking in historic downtown.

In council chambers on Wednesday, a motion was put to council that considered eliminating patios along sidewalks, something councillor Chris Potts brought forward.

Potts’ motion eventually passed through council after a lengthy debate.

Patios on sidewalks have been in place since the COVID-19 pandemic to allow restaurants additional space.

Councillor Potts said there was some confusion in the interpretation of the motion and how many businesses would be impacted.

“I don’t want anybody to think here that there’s any discussion of getting rid of patios,” said Potts during the council meeting. “It’s just removing them off the street area and back onto the curb where the initial design was back in 2010.”

The elimination of patios on the sidewalk will make room for 14 additional parking spots affecting six businesses.

Susan Nicholson, general manager of the Collingwood Downtown BIA said it is important for businesses to have the appropriate amount of parking.

“We have a very vital downtown, lots of different offerings and all of them need parking and need be able to draw people to their business,” said Nicholson.

Other businesses will be able to pivot and have patios that don’t interfere with the sidewalk.

Mayor Yvonne Hamlin told CTV News a parking study has been commissioned in the downtown area with results set to come back to council in the coming months.

She was in favour of keeping sidewalk patios an option for the summer.

“People like to sit outside in the summer and when they’re finished their dinner, well maybe they’re going to shop in one of the shops and I have found the patios traditionally have been a great boost economic development,” said Hamlin.

Restaurants along Hurontario Street told CTV News how essential patios are to their business.

Vanessa Walker is the co-owner of 1858 Caesar Bar and said patios are a staple for the business.

“It’s part of our business model. We work this into the community and the economy,” said Walker. “It’s a huge part of our business model because summer is prime time for people to want to enjoy patios.”

Restaurant owners also said there does need to be a solution for parking.

“What makes a downtown core attractive to tourists and to locals, is it creates a dynamic energy,” said Owner of Sol Kitchen Salinn Kaduc. “Perhaps something like a parking structure or what is currently just a flat parking lot.”

Despite the snow throughout the region, businesses continue to share their excitement regarding the upcoming patio season and cannot wait to serve guests.