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Pool hopes Austin can ‘shop the block’ soon

Tuesday, May 26, 2020 by Elizabeth Pagano

Council Member Leslie Pool has announced that she is proposing changes to the city code that aim to help local businesses by using public space. In a post on the City Council Message Board, Pool says she is working on something for the June 4 agenda that will allow restaurants, bars and retail “use of their parking lots, portions of the sidewalk, and more of the public right-of-way. This is intended to increase their business capacity and maintain social distancing measures. … For many small businesses, a partial reopening is not financially feasible, whether it’s because the retail or restaurant space itself is too small to keep customers safe, or customers themselves are demanding greater space to safely dine or shop.” To fix that, Pool proposes relaxing permitting, likely through the city’s Special Events Ordinance, to allow businesses to use more outdoor space in “shop the block” events.

This whisper has been corrected to clarify that the current plan will amend an existing ordinance. It will not be a new resolution, as initially reported.

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