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Downtown Dining District to remain through November

City council approves extension by an 11-2 vote
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Guelph's Downtown Dining District Kenneth Armstrong/GuelphToday file photo

With an eye on helping several downtown bars and restaurants keep afloat as the pandemic persists, city council has extended the Downtown Dining District to Nov. 30. 

“I’m really pleased with that date and I appreciate that support from council,” Mayor Cam Guthrie, who initially proposed an end date of Jan. 1 but voted in favour of Nov. 30, told GuelphToday following the vote.

“My focus was on saving as many jobs as possible for as long as possible.”

Had it not been for the special council meeting Monday evening, traffic would have opened back up in the area around the intersection of Macdonell and Wyndham streets within hours. That’s now expected to happen on Dec. 1.

Several downtown business representatives and patrons shared stories of the DDD’s “success” in these difficult times and urged an extension, if not outright making it a permanent car-free zone. At the time, the proposal on the floor was to maintain the dining district through Jan. 1.

“It really is the best shot we have at staying in business this winter,” said Colton Proveau of Brothers Brewing Company, referencing increased restrictions around indoor capacity and the possibility of a complete shutdown like restaurants and bars saw earlier in the year. “People are pretty open to weathering the elements in the first part of winter.”

In addition to hearing from 11 delegates, council received more than 130 written submissions. Many heaped praise on the pilot project, suggesting it turned the downtown into a destination, while others raised concerns including the impact of road closures on downtowns other businesses.

“What we’re trying to do is to balance things out,” said Marty Williams, executive director of the Downtown Guelph Business Association (DGBA).

He reaffirmed his group’s support for either an extension until the end of September or decreasing the size of patios within the district to allow for the roads to re-open.  “I got an earful from a lot of people about why, on a cool Tuesday afternoon, the roads are closed, the patios aren’t open - what’s the point?”

More than the dining district, council’s decision grants an extension to sidewalk and parking space patios throughout the city. They, too, now have until Nov. 30 but were set to wrap up at the end of October.

Monday’s council-approved motion also calls for the creation of a stakeholders’ committee to look into the DDD’s pros and cons, while investigating alternatives and developing a recommendation. That report, or at least an interim report, is to be ready for council in time for its Oct. 26 meeting.

The committee is to look at options including another extension of the DDD, re-opening the roads while adjusting the layout of patios, closing the roads for weekends and keeping them open Monday through Thursday, appropriate barriers between traffic flow and patios.

The DDD launched on July 10, following a June city council decision that allowed businesses to apply to set up  sidewalk or on-street patios and within the city’s right-of-way spaces as recommended by the Mayor’s Taskforce on Economic Recovery Due to COVID. It was the DGBA that applied for and received permission for the Downtown Dining District.

Initially, the district was to remain in place until Sept. 7, but a two-week extension was later granted, bringing it to the end of day Monday. 

This past Friday, Guthrie learned an application from the “Participants of the Downtown Dining District” was rejected by city staff. In turn, he announced Monday’s special council meeting to deal with his proposal of an extension until Jan. 1.

Guthrie explained he chose that date because it would cover three upcoming occasions – Halloween, a Christmas market and ringing in the new year.

Following a series of amendments, amendments to amendments and procedure challenges, council voted 11-2 in favour of an extension until Nov. 30. Councillors Bob Bell and Phil Allt were the dissenting votes.

Bell explained his opposition came from a desire to re-open the roads. Allt expressed discomfort in pushing planned road and sidewalk work into 2021.


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Richard Vivian

About the Author: Richard Vivian

Richard Vivian is an award-winning journalist and longtime Guelph resident. He joined the GuelphToday team as assistant editor in 2020, largely covering municipal matters and general assignment duties
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