Suwanee is exploring options for permanent outdoor seating at its Town Center as COVID-19 wanes and more people feel comfortable gathering in public.
The Gwinnett City has found success with temporary tents at its social hub, placed in October 2020 to give visitors a place to safely socialize outdoors with family and friends during the pandemic. City Manager Marty Allen pitched a couple of ideas at a March meeting of the Suwanee City Council for permanent outdoor seating that could help restaurants by attracting customers with a new way to dine.
Allen discussed placing outdoor seating areas in parking spaces along sidewalks with chairs, table and greenery, borrowing the idea from European restaurants and social spots in Athens. These could include streateries, enclosed areas that give restaurants a place to serve customers, and parklets, more general seating areas for people to socialize.
“In our research of how we want to manage this outdoor tent experience, (we) believe that a combination of these efforts might be something that’s worth exploring,” Allen said. “There are a lot of things to consider — needs, opportunities, costs, management, unintended consequences and precedent — but we’ve seen them used successfully in other environments.”
City staff is still early in its research process, Allen said, but a few restaurants in Town Center have expressed an interest in the idea. He told city officials he could foresee adding about four or five permanent outdoor seating areas to the city if the council wants to entertain the idea, with standard designs costing about $1,000 and more elaborate designs costing more.
There’s no hard deadline for the end of the tent program, but the five tents along Town Center Avenue and the six in the park next to it were considered temporary. Weather will help shape the potential permanent enclosures, Allen said.
Councilmember Heather Hall said there’s a need for more general seating in Town Center, as there are too few places to sit without someone “germing” on her. She said the city needs to more clearly publicize the spaces available in the parking deck close to Town Center, considering the tents take up some of the otherwise available parking spaces.
The city spent about $3,900 on each tent, while the restaurants who use them maintain their upkeep. City officials favored the idea of leasing the outdoor seating areas to restaurants for them to maintain in a similar fashion.
City staff will continue evaluating and researching the benefits and costs of permanent outdoor seating options before city officials consider them, Allen said.
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