At its July 28, 2021 City Commission meeting, the City Attorney's Office presented an Ordinance to be approved on First Reading, proposing to increase the City's sidewalk cafe permit fee from $27 per square feet to $150 per square feet, to better reflect current market prices.  

At the same time, the City Attorney's office proposed to offer a Voluntary City Subsidy Advance Program ("the Program") to sidewalk cafe operators that would voluntarily elect to abide by certain standards and regulations.  

Participants who request to participate in the program, and agree to comply with the program guidelines, would be granted a special program fee for their sidewalk cafes. 

The proposed amount of the voluntary subsidy payment, for sidewalk cafe operators that request and qualify for the program, is an amount equal to $125 per square feet for sidewalk cafes and $90 per square feet for parklets, per year. 

Some guidelines (which will be left to the City Manager to draft and for the City Commission to approve by Resolution) that have been suggested include:

• Size limitations on alcoholic beverages served at sidewalk cafes and parklets;

• Restricting smoking and vapor-generating devices at sidewalk cafes and parklets, and

• Requiring uniforms for employees at sidewalk cafes and parklets.

At the Commission meeting, Commission members requested that the item be referred to the Land Use and Sustainability Committee to further discuss the program guidelines, and to bring it back to Commission for Second Reading Public Hearing.