Flower City Sidewalks Help in Outdoor Winter Seating - Spectrum News

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ROCHESTER, N.Y. — As people and businesses enjoy last few days of warm weather, the City of Rochester is making it easier for businesses to prepare for winter with the launch of the ‘Flower City Winter Sidewalks’ program.

“We know there’s different obstacles to staying outdoors, and it’s really important that we continue to partner with our businesses and particular restaurants so that they can again their ability to serve people outdoors," said Gary Kirkmire, commissioner of Neighborhood and Business Development for the City of Rochester.

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What You Need To Know

• Permit fees are waived for businesses looking to expand seating on streets, sidewalks, and private property


• The city hopes this will help businesses during the winter months


• Bitter Honey says outdoor seating is great for business

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The city is waiving all permit fees for businesses looking to create outdoor winter seating on sidewalks, streets, and private property.

“With liquor licenses, entertainment licenses, even this sidewalk here during normal times, you wouldn’t be able to sit people when it was normal restaurant policy. But now with COVID, these permits are being waived, and they’re extending our liquor licenses so that we can serve liquor and alcohol and wine and beer on our street and on our sidewalk, which has been super helpful," said Jean-Paul Scott, general manager of Bitter Honey.

The ‘Flower City Winter Sidewalks’ program is an extension of the program that provided barriers for restaurants placing seating on streets and sidewalks during the summer months.

“It’s great, especially over the summer when we saw they helped us out with these barriers that extended our outdoor patio, even in the summer that helped a ton, offsetting our otherwise indoor space, especially with social distancing protocols," said Scott.

The city tells Spectrum News the process shouldn’t take long if businesses provide all of the needed information to approve plans for outside heating and seating.

The program is a move that will help take the burden off of businesses dealing with COVID-19 concerns, the winter months, and staying afloat financially.

“So in Rochester, obviously winter sucks, so people automatically don’t want really like going out, and then now if it’s bad out, you don’t want to sit outside. So these extra measures so that we can have heat, shelter, for people who still want to go and experience Rochester maybe a little different from years past is appreciative because it helps,” said Scott.

Managers at Bitter Honey in Rochester say customers enjoy the outdoor seating and some feel safer being outside during the pandemic, and the city is hopeful this will not be the only measure to help businesses throughout the city.

“What we’re in the process of all doing in addition to that is working with some community partners to develop a program that hopefully will avail some greenhouses, or some type of structures that can meet these intended purposes for up to 25 businesses,” said Kirkmire.

Businesses interested in the ‘Flower City Winter Sidewalks’ program can visit the jumpstartingroc.com website for more information and other resources.

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Flower City Sidewalks Help in Outdoor Winter Seating - Spectrum News
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