Saint John plans to waive sidewalk café permit fees for the second year in a row due to COVID-19 impacts.
On Tuesday, the city’s growth committee discussed the 2022 Sidewalk Café Rebate Initiative.
The committee recommended Common Council approve the initiative, which would effectively waive 100 per cent of sidewalk café permit fees, and fees for parking spaces where patios are constructed.
“We’re also recommending that we allocate $20,000 through the ENCORE fund (Municipal Economic and Community Recovery Program) for this initiative,” said David Dobbelsteyn, the city’s manager for growth.
“We already have the process in place through our One-Stop Development Shop to rebate it instantly for any applicant, and the process is fairly smooth and straightforward,” continued Dobbelsteyn.
Last year, 17 businesses participated in the Sidewalk Café Rebate Initiative.
“A lot of businesses last year told us because it was free it gave them the capacity to make a capital improvement to make that long-term investment in building a patio, and we’re hopeful we will see that again this year,” added Dobbelsteyn.
The initiative will go to council at a later date.
