The program has been a “lifesaver” for restaurants and other businesses affected by the pandemic, Mayor Doug McCallum said.
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Surrey’s Temporary Yards Program will receive a one-year extension with a view to making it permanent in the future.
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On Monday, Surrey councilors approved the extension of the city’s Parking to Patio program through October 31, 2022.
The program, which began in May 2020 to help restaurants with physical distancing rules in the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, allows businesses to add additional seating on sidewalks, boulevards or street parking spots to through an optimized application. Fees are also waived.
The program has been popular, with 42 companies using the program, according to a staff report .
The program has been a “lifeline” for restaurants and other businesses affected by the pandemic, Mayor Doug McCallum said in a statement. He said the council supports plans to make the program permanent.
The move comes a month after Vancouver councilors voted to convert their temporary playground program, also a response to COVID-19 restrictions, into an annual summer program.
Reference-vancouversun.com