A resolution to proceed with outdoor seating in front of a soon-to-open restaurant at 137 W. Columbus Ave. was tabled Tuesday during a regular meeting of the Bellefontaine City Council.
Plans to remove three parking spots and a tree between the area of 137-141 W. Columbus Ave. made its way through council’s streets committee, and was approved by the planning commission 5-0 only to be met with some opposition Tuesday from some neighboring business owners over further reducing the amount of available parking in that area.
The Flying Pepper Cantina is set to open around May, and a shared, co-working networking and entrepreneurial space is also slated to open next door. An outdoor dining experience is an important facet in attracting young business professionals to utilize and occupy that space, proponents of the outdoor patio said Tuesday during the meeting.
Additionally, outdoor dining has a tremendous influence on foot traffic and pedestrian shopping, advocates claimed.
Regardless the benefits, installation of an outdoor patio is not worth further reducing the amount of available parking, said Jason Benton, who owns Pak Mail, 132 W. Columbus Ave.
“People will come to downtown because of the delicious food being served by the Flying Pepper, not because there’s an outdoor patio,” he said.
Another meeting of the streets committee will be set soon, and the issue is expected to be taken up again at the next regular city council meeting.
As for additional action taken Tuesday by the council, permanent appropriations for 2020 were approved on first reading, and will total about $20 million. General Fund allocations are $10.1 million, which represents a 9 percent increase over last year.
Additionally, the streets department will soon begin advertising for seasonal help. Two summer, part-time positions will be effective May 1 through Oct. 31. That seasonal work will pay $12.
Council has increased the hourly wage for its seasonal street department work in order to attract more candidates for the position, according to discussion Tuesday.
The next regular council meeting is 7:30 p.m., Feb. 25.