In an effort to keep the city’s small businesses afloat this season with indoor restaurant capacity regulations still at 50 percent, Boulder has extended its street closures through February, with its Boulder Business Recovery Temporary Outdoor Expansion Program.
The closures, which started May 28, will continue to encompass Pearl Street between 9th and 11th Streets, 10th Street from Pearl Street north to the alley south of Spruce Street, and along the “Hill Event Street,” starting a half-block west of Pennsylvania Avenue to 13th Street. So far, 98 businesses have joined the city’s Curbside Expansion Program while 23 participate in the city’s Curbside Pick-up Zone program.
[Covid-19 continues to claim Boulder small businesses, more in jeopardy.]
The temporary dining parklets set up on those streets which still allow vehicular traffic will get deconstructed as in lieu of potentially unsafe icy conditions, with concrete barriers required to continue operating. Restaurants, however, may use outdoor enclosures such as heated tents on non-street space. Applications for tents or other structures open Oct. 12. The program will run through February, at which point the City of Boulder will reassess.
Currently, the city, Downtown Boulder Partnership and the Chamber of Commerce are working to relocate the existing on-street dining to viable sidewalks, alleys and parking spaces.
Header image: Street dining outside of Izakaya Amu and Sushi Zanmai. Image: Tatyana Sharpton.
