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BOSTON - Monday, March 1,
2021 - Mayor Martin J. Walsh today announced that in collaboration with the
Boston Licensing Board and City departments, outdoor dining for
restaurants in Boston will begin on April 1, 2021. The 2021 Outdoor Dining Pilot Program
will continue many of the successful initiatives from last year's program,
such as streamlined permitting and outdoor patios on roadways that enable
restaurants with narrow sidewalks to offer patio seating to patrons, while
offering new features based on community feedback. Applications for outdoor
dining licenses on both public and private property are now open, and
businesses can apply online. A start date of April 1 is
weather-dependent, and City departments are meeting regularly and observing
the weather forecast to determine whether an earlier start date is
possible.
“Outdoor dining contributes
to a vibrant, welcoming city, and we’ve seen the benefits outdooring has
had on our neighborhoods: supporting local businesses, a safe and enjoyable
experience for restaurant patrons, and an added resource for Boston’s small
businesses during this challenging time,” said Mayor Walsh. “Boston has
worked hard to ensure this is an accessible, streamlined process for
businesses, and I look forward to the 2021 outdoor dining season starting
this spring.”
The 2021 Outdoor Dining
Pilot Program season will begin on April 1, 2021, or earlier if weather
permits, and will end on December 1, 2021, weather permitting. Restaurants
who took part in the 2020 temporary outdoor dining program and who wish to
do so in 2021 must re-apply, and the City will also be accepting applications
from restaurants who did not take part in the 2020 temporary outdoor dining
program.
The City has held a series
of virtual training sessions to help businesses with the application
process. Outreach to businesses on outdoor dining is a coordinated effort
through the Licensing Board, Office of Economic Development, Office of
Neighborhood Services, and Boston Main Streets.
Updated support for
businesses include:
Waived fees to reduce barriers to applying to
the program including Licensing Board fees and fees for the use of the
public way.
Continued technical support
and additional targeted outreach to help support underrepresented restaurant owners. Businesses can get
direct support by emailing smallbiz@boston.gov.
Centralized online
application that allows City departments to reduce administrative
load of reviewing and approving applications and increases transparency in
the review process for restaurant owners
Clearer guidance and
instructions that improve upon the
guidance offered in 2020 (more standardized site plan, clearer language
around barrier requirements, etc.)
The Boston Disabilities
Commission will also again work closely with restaurants to distribute
ramps throughout the City.
The online application went
live on December 10, 2020 and to date, the City has received more than 370
applications of which more than 150 have been approved. For the 2020
temporary outdoor dining season, the Licensing Board approved more than 550
requests for outdoor dining licenses with over 415 on public property. Of
the total approved outdoor spaces, applications from every single
neighborhood in the City of Boston were represented.
Throughout the COVID-19
pandemic, the City of Boston has been steadfast in its commitment to
supporting the small business community. To date, the Office of Economic
Development has issued $15.1 million to more than 3,700 businesses, of
which $5 million has been directly allocated to nearly 1,000 restaurant
owners. More than $6.7 million in debt-free grants have been distributed to
over 1,850 small businesses in every neighborhood across the City of Boston
through the Office of Economic Development's Small Business Relief Fund. In November 2020, the City launched three new funds
totaling $6.3 million that support small businesses in Boston that have been
affected by COVID-19, focusing on commercial rent relief, supporting certified
women-, minority-, and veteran-owned small businesses, and restaurant
relief. To further assist the City's small businesses, the City of Boston
has created a list of suppliers to help businesses source the
personal protective equipment (PPE) and cleaning supplies required to
ensure the safety of employees and customers as industries reopen.
Additional information on
outdoor dining, and applications for businesses, is available on boston.gov.
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