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Council directs major changes to Belfast curbside program: days, hours and enforcement to be tightened; fees to be revisited
Summary
After extended public comment, the council directed staff to tighten curbside design enforcement, require summer licensees to be open six days and winter licensees four days, set minimum open hours at six, require set-up by May 15/Nov. 15, and return a draft by Oct. 1; fee levels were discussed but not finalized.
After extended public comment on Sept. 17, Belfast councilors told staff to overhaul elements of the curbside outdoor-dining program that grew out of the pandemic.
Bob (city staff) reviewed program history and parameters, noting the program is entering its fifth season and that design, hours, days-open and fee structure are all within the council’s purview. Dozens of residents and business owners then spoke: some said curbside seating draws customers to multiple downtown stores, while others said the program has taken too many parking spaces and that the $250 six‑month license is inadequate.
Councilors and staff debated enforceability and program goals. The council reached several policy directions by consensus, not by formal ordinance vote: summer curbside licensees should be open six days per week; winter licensees should be open four days; participants must be open a minimum of six hours between 6 a.m. and 10 p.m. The council also supported requiring that summer participants be set up and operating by May 15 (two-week exception for new businesses) and winter participants by Nov. 15. Staff will strengthen design-enforcement language (barrier treatments, plantings or painted/wood cladding on jersey barriers), clarify sidewalk clearance requirements and add teeth to enforcement to ensure licensees follow approved plans.
Councilors discussed raising fees substantially from the current seasonal level (the existing baseline program fee cited in council materials was $250 for six months and roughly $2.50 per square foot in earlier iterations). Several councilors proposed graduated fee options for winter and summer — examples mentioned in the meeting ranged from $400 (winter) / $700–$750 (summer) up to $1,000 in future years — but no final fee ordinance was adopted on Sept. 17.
City manager Aaron Herbig and staff will draft revised language reflecting council direction and return the draft to the council at its Oct. 1 meeting; winter applications will be accepted beginning Oct. 2 if the council finalizes rules in time.
What to expect: Staff will bring a written draft to the Oct. 1 meeting that includes enforceable design standards, days/hours requirements, set-up deadlines and proposed fee schedules for council consideration and possible adoption.
