With state leaders easing coronavirus restrictions on outdoor dining beginning Friday, the City of
Bowling Green is itself making it easier for local businesses to offer patrons an al fresco restaurant
experience.
Modified guidance for outdoor dining in the downtown, and even in some parking lots, will be in effect
until Dec. 31. The plans, which are being rolled out Wednesday, were developed in conjunction with
Bowling Economic Development’s #movingforwardBG campaign.
Assistant Municipal Administrator Joe Fawcett said that the thought process involved making it easier for
businesses to place tables or chairs outside and offer a place for patrons to eat.
An informational flyer outlining the changes notes that “the city continues to look for creative ways to
assist the Bowling Green community” and is implementing the changes in deference to “the challenging
times of our local businesses.”
According to the flyer, in the downtown the fee for the required permit for outdoor dining on public
sidewalks is being waived, but a 5-foot aisle width needs to be maintained as per the Americans with
Disabilities Act. Further, the business must provide a sketch of the table and seating layout, as well
as proof of liability insurance in the amount of at least $300,000. They must also sign an indemnity
agreement, which is part of the permit application.
For businesses on private property, both the permit and the fee are being waived as long as the seating
area is temporary. A sketch of the proposed area must also be submitted, and it cannot block entrances
and exits of buildings or parking areas; emergency access must be maintained. Permanent structures
require a permit.
Further, the city is altering the minimum parking requirement related to businesses on private property.
Normally, businesses such as restaurants are required by the city’s zoning code to have a certain amount
of parking available. Now, the city is temporarily waiving the minimum parking space requirement and
allowing the businesses, without a permit or fee, to place tables and chairs outdoors in their parking
lot if they are temporary.
According to the flyer, this “allows businesses more flexibility to maximize the space of their property
for outdoor dining, supporting social distancing” and it “may allow an existing business to expand their
footprint or a new business to try a temporary or move-able location, often referred to as a ‘pop-up’
shop.”
The city is further relaxing requirements for temporary signs in the downtown and on private property. In
the downtown, according to the flier, the requirements are similar to those for outdoor dining. Also,
the signs can be a maximum of 48 inches high and 30 inches wide, and displayed between 6 a.m. and 10
p.m. On private property, no permit is required, with a three-sign maximum, measuring no more than 16
square feet per sign. The signs may not contain flashing lights and cannot block visibility or be
located in the city right-of-way.
Questions about these regulations may be directed to the city’s planning department at 419-354-6218 or
[email protected].
The city additionally is still looking at a possible designated outdoor refreshment area, or DORA, in the
downtown.
“We are continuing to emphasize that the city is still very much interested, and there are businesses
that are very much interested,” said Fawcett.
The potential for a DORA in Bowling Green was listed as one of Mayor Mike Aspacher’s goals for 2020 in
January – before the COVID-19 crisis affected the city and the rest of the country.
Fawcett said the Downtown BG organization has issued a letter to its members “asking for those
establishments with liquor licenses or permits to let them know … that the business is interested” in a
DORA. Under Ohio law, at least four businesses with a liquor license in BG would need to support the
DORA effort, Fawcett said. When that threshold is reached, the legislative process to move forward with
a DORA could begin.
“I would say it’s very much still in play and the mayor and (Municipal Administrator Lori Tretter) are
very much interested in pursuing that,” he said.
