More downtown patios could lead to permanent upgrades for the Waterfront District, according to the head of its Business Improvement Area.
City Council has expanded the Pop-Up Patio program, which can include temporary street closures to extend patios and seating onto one lane of the road.
Waterfront BIA Coordinator Kara Pratt says the Pop-Up Patio pilot went well for them and is glad to see it become a full program.
“The possibility of temporary partial street closures and use of parking lots is a great addition to that,” Pratt adds.
“COVID-19 and the pandemic have actually given us the opportunity to try out things we might not have been able to try out before, so why not attempt it now and see how the public feels about it and how our businesses feel about it?” she points out.
BIA Chair Jim Comuzzi says that for years, they’ve wanted to make Red River Road more appealing to pedestrians, and this could pave the way. He feels it will be a “monumental” part of their decisions on the future of the BIA.
He suggests it could include a connection between the BIA and the Bay and Algoma Area,
Comuzzi, who owns Rooster’s Bistro, adds he wants people to come back to the downtown business district and enjoy the area safely.
