Columbia restaurants get to use parking spaces but will have to pay for them

COLUMBIA, Mo. (KMIZ)

Columbia restaurants will have to pay to seat customers in blocked-off parking spots but supporters hope the new law will still help businesses with more revenue as social distancing requirements continue.

The Columbia City Council approved an ordinance Monday that will allow restaurants to use parking spaces for extra seating.

The temporary permits can last no longer than 90 days before the restaurant will have to request an extension. Ward 1 Councilwoman Pat Fowler successfully added an amendment to extend the period to 90 days -- the permits would expire after 20 days according to the original ordinance.

The measure is seen by many as a way to help restaurants as the pandemic continues. Restaurants had been under limitations on group sizes for several months. Those requirements are gone, but current health orders still require tables to be socially distant, limiting how many customers can be served at a time.

"We can get our businesses supported after COVID and get our restaurants and diners outside safely and support our businesses, that's what we need to be doing," new Ward 2 Councilwoman Andrea Waner said during council debate.

Waner said if there is a way to safely allow restaurants to operate and continue to reward them for doing good work , then the city needs to do that.

It was made clear in the meeting that restaurants will have to pay for the parking spaces so the city would not lose revenue from parking meters.

Nickie Davis with the Downtown Community Improvement District pleaded for 90 days for the permitted length because of the cost to restaurants to renew permits after 20 days and the need to hire more employees.

Davis said a lot of restaurants are now interested in having this option and the extended time frame is key to continue that interest. She said restaurants can fit about three tables in each parking space while maintaining social distancing. Each business would be allowed two spaces.

"Can you imagine spending $3,000 for 20 days let alone paying for those parking spots and potentially needing to get another employee so 20 to 90 days is huge," said Davis.

Davis said businesses will have to have a built up platform that is flesh with the sidewalks to make it ADA accessible. She said there will also need to be barriers around not only for safety reasons, but for the fact that people won't feel like they're eating on the street.

Permits should be submitted 21 days before restaurants plan to start the outdoor seating. No permits are to be approved in areas where the speed limit is faster than 20 mph or for spaces less than 19 feet from the face of a curb, marked lane or centerline of a street.

Restaurants will have to pay $10 a day for parking meters blocked off by the outdoor dining area. If approved, barricades should be set up around the area.

Tera Eckerle, manager at Tellers downtown, said the restaurant does not plan to use this option. Tellers' biggest problem isn't seating -- it's staffing.

"When we have our patio set up it is already so chaotic and when we had events in the summer going on, we brought in more tables. It was such a pain to drag everything out and everything back in," Eckerle said.

Billy Giordano, owner of Room 38 Bar and Lounge, said they will not be using the parking space seating, but he believes it will be a great opportunity for some businesses.

Besides owning Room 38, Giordano also owns a staffing software that helps businesses hire. He said he has seen the negative effects of stimulus packages on businesses in Columbia.

"A lot of people out there are just not willing to work right now with all the money they can make on unemployment and through the stimulus checks," said Giordano.

Eckerle said parking is already limited along Broadway and if businesses start to use this then the only parking available will be in parking garages.

"We also see so many accidents at the corner of Ninth and Broadway that it seems like it wouldn't be safe or feasible," Eckerle said.

St. Louis and Kansas City took similar actions in 2020 to help restaurants through the pandemic.