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Glencoe board signals support for seasonal outdoor dining, asks restaurants for proposals
Summary
Staff briefed the board on two outdoor dining programs (sidewalk/cafe seating and curbside street structures); the board favored seasonal programs, asked for standardized appearance and ADA compliance, and requested outreach to restaurants before setting fees or making permanent street conversions.
Village staff presented background and regional comparisons for Glencoe’s two existing outdoor dining programs — sidewalk cafe seating and the curbside/structure street dining program — and asked whether the board wanted to pursue changes to fees, season length and design standards.
Adam (staff) summarized the current programs and noted that the village charges 50¢ per square foot for the outdoor dining structure program; regional peers typically confine street‑level dining to a season (April–November or May–October). The presentation highlighted safety, appearance and spacing standards as primary constraints for curbside dining in Glencoe’s angled‑parking geometry.
Board members generally expressed support for outdoor dining in principle and favored seasonal or pilot approaches rather than year‑round permanent street closures. Members emphasized uniform appearance standards, ADA clearance and soliciting ideas from newly arriving and established restaurants before setting fees or approving larger street conversions.
The board asked staff to reach out to downtown restaurants for proposals and to draft a clearer set of design and operational standards for seasonal pilots. No fee increases or permanent street closures were approved at the meeting.
