Fiscal Note
The proposed resolution establishes guidelines for businesses and property owners to alter Capitol Square Area Planting Beds, including a Developer's Agreement, which will include a mechanism for property owners to pay for the alterations. No City appropriation required.
Title
SUBSTITUTE - Establishing Policy Guidelines for Alterations to Capitol Square Area Planting Beds for the Intent of Creating New Public Sidewalk Cafes.
Body
WHEREAS, the public rights-of-way along the radial streets extending from the Capitol Square include several trapezoidal-shaped planting areas with concrete curbing, as depicted in attached Exhibit A (“Planting Beds Eligible for Partial Conversion to Seating Areas”); and
WHEREAS, business and property owners have approached the City of Madison (the “City”) about the potential of converting all or a portion of some of these planting beds to create space for outdoor sidewalk cafes for restaurants; and
WHEREAS, several locations on the Capitol Concourse already have public spaces that have been altered to allow for sidewalk café space; and
WHEREAS, these past alterations were made on a piecemeal basis without an over-arching City policy guiding the physical design of the spaces, or a consistent policy for managing and monitoring these spaces as seating areas once the conversions were completed; and
WHEREAS, there are potential public benefits to establishing a clear and orderly procedure to guide planting bed conversions to sidewalk cafes, a process for determining when such conversions are in the public interest, and a consistent policy for licensing and monitoring the operations of these spaces as sidewalk cafes after the conversions are complete.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, the City hereby establishes a procedure for reviewing and approving proposed changes to the public right-of-way for the purposes of creating new sidewalk cafes within planting beds located in the Capitol Concourse; and
BE IT FURTHER RESO...
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