Denver City Council Adopts Outdoor Places Program

Mayor Michael Hancock | Michael Hancock Official Website

By Denver City Wire Report

Jun 10, 2023

Denver City Council Adopts Outdoor Places Program, which Codifies and Improves Outdoor Dining and Gathering Spaces

New standards offer businesses greater flexibility for outdoor patio options, improves design and accessibility features

Denver, CO – After hearing from residents during the pandemic that they enjoyed being able to eat, drink, and gather at outdoor patios, Denver’s Department of Community Planning and Development proposed new standards for businesses to maintain outdoor patios on their private property. Denver City Council on Monday voted unanimously to adopt these new standards.

The standards, one piece of the new Outdoor Places Program, build on the successes and lessons learned from the temporary outdoor dining program that was implemented during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Outdoor Places Program requirements for private property patios expand upon the temporary program and offer some of the following enhancements through zoning code changes:

Businesses other than restaurants and bars can use the Outdoor Places Program.
Old zoning requirements of contiguity (meaning, patios must have been physically connected to the business) and delineation (meaning, patios must be clearly marked by fences, walls or plant materials) were relaxed to allow for greater flexibility for patio design and tailoring for individual businesses.
Individually enclosed dining spaces may be part of an outdoor patio space if their capacity is no greater than 20 percent of the occupancy of the indoor space.
Businesses may choose to go through an optional design review in order to receive relief from zoning standards, including the possibility to use more private parking spaces for outdoor patios.

“As a permanent program, we're prioritizing ease of access for residents, great design and flexibility for businesses to cater to their needs and those of their customers," Mayor Michael B. Hancock said. "The Outdoor Places Program has been a phenomenal success and important tool for our local businesses, and the end result here will be more bustling outdoor spaces that will bolster the economy and bring renewed vibrancy to our neighborhoods.”

“There’s a lot we learned from the temporary patio program during the pandemic, and we’ve taken those lessons and provided updates to the zoning code to reflect them,” said Laura E. Aldrete, Executive Director of Denver’s Department of Community Planning and Development. “We want these patios to be visually appealing, to have thoughtful design, be accessible for all patrons, and to give neighborhoods throughout the city a strong sense of place. These zoning changes will help achieve those goals and allow Denver residents to continue enjoy eating, drinking, and gathering outside.”

“We continue to see the demand for more outdoor dining opportunities – both from our businesses and from patrons,” said Jen Morris, Executive Director of Denver Economic Development & Opportunity. “Coupling community amenities with the outdoors is quintessential Colorado. This program will activate our neighborhoods and set our businesses up for success for years to come. I couldn’t be more pleased to see this come to fruition.”

“During the COVID-19 pandemic, restaurants utilized private and public outdoor spaces in ways that had never been done before, and it made all the difference. Continued utilization of both public and private outdoor spaces is critical to the local restaurant industry as it continues to recover from the economic impacts of the pandemic, and we appreciate the city’s commitment to creating streamlined, equitable, and accessible policies that allow our restaurants to utilize outdoor places as efficiently as possible,” said Sonia Riggs, President and CEO of the Colorado Restaurant Association.

Denver’s Outdoor Places Program builds on the success of the temporary outdoor dining program used by local businesses during the pandemic. While the temporary program was created in May 2020 to help restaurants and bars safely expand their serving capacity during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, the permanent program will allow these and other businesses to use private and public space for outdoor operations after the temporary program ends.

The next and final stage of the program will be issuing requirements for patios “below the curb,” which are patio locations that occupy on-street parking.

Project partners include Community Planning and Development, Denver Economic Development and Opportunity, the Denver Fire Department, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, Human Rights and Community Partnerships, Department of Public Health and Environment, Denver Parks and Recreation, and the Department of Excise and Licenses.

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