Outdoor dining fee changes in Naples

Reporter: Valentina LaFranca
Published: Updated:
Naples
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      Outdoor dining is a hot commodity for restaurants, especially this time of year.

      Next month, the Naples City Council is set to take up the issue of how much real estate restaurants can use for tables and how much they should have to pay for the privilege.

      Fifth Avenue can get pretty crowded, and walking by some restaurants can be a tight squeeze.

      We spoke to many people Thursday, some who don’t think spacing is an issue and some who welcome the idea for more.

      The Naples City Council is expected to take up a recommendation from the planning advisory board on Feb. 20. It calls for eight feet of walking space next to outdoor dining.

      Right now, the requirement is five feet.

      This proposed rule also increases permit fees for outdoor dining, but Tim Aten with the Naples Press said if it passes, it won’t impact the restaurants that are here already.

      “15 restaurants already on Fifth Avenue within the overlay district have permits that would be grandfathered in, but anyone in the future that was seeking a permit, or if restaurants change hands, then they would have to abide by the eight-foot rule instead of the five feet,” Aten said.

      The owners WINK News spoke to on Thursday are not worried about this happening. They know they are safe anyway if nothing changes.

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