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​Kincardine BIA wants municipality to remove barriers to seasonal outdoor patios downtown

Liz DadsonBy: Liz Dadson  January 11, 2025
​Kincardine BIA wants municipality to remove barriers to seasonal outdoor patios downtown
The Kincardine Business Improvement Area (BIA) is asking Kincardine council to remove barriers so more restaurants, pubs and cafes can set up seasonal outdoor patios in the downtown core.

At the council meeting Wednesday night (Jan. 8), Darrel Perry of the BIA made a presentation, pointing to the removal of barriers, literally and figuratively.

He said that during the COVID-19 pandemic, from 2020-21, hospitality businesses on Queen Street and the community, embraced seasonal patios in downtown Kincardine.

Business owners were allowed increased seating, generating more revenue during the summer. They hired more people, and Queen Street appeared more vibrant with enhanced, unplanned social interactions. Downtown residents found opportunities to meet, spend more time, and interact on Queen Street for prolonged time periods.

However, last summer, the BIA observed that there was a dramatic drop in seasonal patios on Queen Street.

“So, we interviewed eight Queen Street restaurants, pubs and cafes to find out why,” said Perry. “For 2025, all but one of the cafes and restaurants interviewed indicated they would consider having a seasonal patio if some of the financial barriers could be removed.

He said that historically, events have been used to create vibrancy on Queen Street.

“This is very expensive to run and usually requires the street to be closed to car traffic,” he said. “With events having a questionable financial impact for businesses, it's the intention of the BIA this year, to create fewer Queen Street events during the summer.”

Currently, the municipality requires all outdoor patios to have Jersey barriers (large concrete blocks) between them and the street, throughout the summer.

Perry said the rental cost of these barriers is the number one obstacle preventing businesses from having a seasonal patio.

The BIA is recommending that the municipality reduce or remove the cost of the rental of these barriers.

A second recommendation is for the municipality to reduce the cost of the application process for outdoor patios, and switch to a simplified renewal format.

Perry said recent changes to the height of roadside car parking and gutters was a major cost barrier to Queen Street cafes, pubs and restaurants that owned a seasonal patio. The majority of businesses interviewed owned a seasonal patio. Only one business paid to modify and use it for the summer last year.

He said the BIA recommends that Spruce the Bruce grants should be made available in 2025 for making modifications to seasonal patios.

From a timing perspective, he said that by January, a number of hospitality business owners are already considering whether to invest in a seasonal patio.

“Kincardine has the unique advantage of having its downtown centre as a lakeside destination and not a highway,” said Perry. “The successful establishment of yearly seasonal patios not only strengthens this advantage but has the potential to further distinguish Kincardine as the must-see place to visit in Bruce County.

“The significant impact of seasonality on Kincardine’s business community is a major barrier to its success and growth. Seasonal patios, supported by marketing initiatives from the BIA and Kincardine tourism, would help increase foot traffic during the summer and the shoulder-season periods.

“Visitors to Kincardine and the local community spend more time on Queen Street with the very popular seasonal patios. This provides opportunities for surrounding businesses while attracting future business investment.

“The recommendations in this report represent a negligible cost to the municipality, with the potential to have a significant impact on downtown Kincardine and the broader business community.”

Deputy mayor Andrea Clarke asked if business owners are having more difficulty with the cost of the Jersey barriers or the cost of the application process?

“The number one barrier to patios is the rental cost for the Jersey barriers, from May 1 to Oct. 31,” said Perry. “There remains the question of the need for the Jersey barriers.”

Strategic initiatives manager Lorie Fioze said the Jersey barriers cost $235.38 for the set-up, plus $13.23/barrier per month, for the six months.

Chief administrative officer Jillene Bellchamber-Glazier said council could discuss this during budget talks on Monday (Jan. 13), and then staff could bring a recommendation back to council by the Feb. 12 meeting.

Council agreed.

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    Comments (1)

  1. Darrel Perry
    2025-01-11 20:32:58
    Many thanks Liz for generating awareness of our three Seasonal Patio recommendations to Council and the MOK. The BIA and Queen Street businesses very much support summer events. However, the extreme seasonality businesses experience in Kincardine outside of the June to August summer period is our major barrier to success. The BIA has begun addressing this by creating marketing initiatives, events and hopefully seasonal patios to attract visitors during the shoulder season months. We hope we can encourage the MOK and the local community to join us in this initiative.

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