A new bylaw is in place in Parksville regulating patios for restaurants. (Extreme Eatery)

By Ian Holmes

street patios

Street patio bylaw passed in Parksville, individual submissions invited

May 27, 2025 | 5:53 AM

PARKSVILLE — Trail-blazed by a downtown restaurant, a new bylaw is in place to regulate downtown street patios.

City Council unanimously approved a broad street patio bylaw for downtown restaurants, pubs and cafes last week, while also endorsing the program’s first participant: Extreme Eatery on Morrison Ave.

Downtown business operators are invited to submit applications, which come with a $150 application fee for a three-year term, while individual annual rental fees will apply.

Coun. Amit Gaur said citizens and business owners he’s spoken to are looking forward to the hopeful expansion of street patios.

“It’s a great opportunity for us as a beachside, seaside community, and I’m really looking forward to the Craig Street Market and how this fits into the whole vibrancy downtown.”

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In the case of Extreme Eatery, the business pays the City of Parksville roughly $360 annually to occupy two on-street parking spots, according to a City staff report.

The City noted street patios used by Parksville businesses appeared to hold over from COVID-19 era social distancing requirements overseen by the province under liquor licensing regulations, which expired at the end of last year.

Formalizing a bylaw for street patios aligns with the City of Parksville’s strategic plan for adding vibrancy through increased activity and social connections, the report stated.

Applications will be reviewed and decided on by City Council on a case-by-case basis and must be adjacent to food catering businesses, among numerous other conditions.

Blaine Russell, Parksville’s director of community planning and building, estimated their ability to process applications in four to six weeks.

Mayor Doug O’Brien credited Extreme Eatery for advancing the work to make this bylaw a reality.

“They had very many meetings with staff and ourselves to suggest what that could look like, how it could be and there’s no sense putting a program together that nobody’s going to buy into, because that’s a lot of waste of time for staff and so forth.”

Extreme Eatery’s setup consists of a nearly 250 sq/ft patio on a fenced platform with picnic tables and bar stools covered by a canopy tent.

Street patios have morphed from hastily established pandemic-induced features in many B.C. communities to permanent fixtures for many food and liquor-oriented businesses, including in Nanaimo.

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