A City notice was recently delivered to some residents in the Exchange District. City crews are once again planning to tear up the road on Bannatyne Avenue east of Main St. The owners of Corrientes and Kevins are very upset. Restaurants have suffered so much through Covid-19, and the only relief right now is if they can have people dining at an outdoor patio. Corrientes has a very popular patio which is bustling at the permitted capacity on sunny dayes.
Next door, Kevin’s has received approval to build a new patio this year, recognizing that people are reluctant to eat inside and in the current environment, a patio is the only way to attract people to your restaurant.
The notice states that they will start ripping up the roadway soon, that it will take 3 - 4 weeks of disruption, traffic on the street will be restricted and very noisy equipment will be running! Who wants to be dining on a patio when this is happening?
The City does not need to do this work during patio season! They can easily find 3 - 4 weeks to do these upgrades in the fall, or next spring.
Businesses along Corydon, another mecca for summertime patios, are complaining about sewer upgrades that have already begun. Sounds like we are next.
If you are concerned about the timing of this work, and the effect it will have on our locally-owned restaurants, please call 311 or our area Councillor Vivian Santos to ask that this work be rescheduled.