Could We See More Late-Night Outdoor Dining In Dunedin?
Do you want to enjoy late night outdoor dining in Dunedin? That could happen thanks to advancement of an amendment that would permit outdoor dining past midnight on Friday and Saturday nights.
In 2011, an outdoor dining ordinance was put in place. The ordinance mandates that restaurants and bars close down their patio spaces and outdoor dining areas by midnight on Friday and Saturday nights and by 11 PM Sunday night through Thursday night.
Outdoor Dining in Dunedin Amendment Meeting At City Hall
A meeting was held on Monday at Dunedin City Hall. After 3 1/2 hours of deliberation, the local planning agency voted to allow an amendment to move forward to permit outdoor dining later into the night on weekends.
Andy Polce is the owner of Dunedin House of Beer and HOB Brewing Company, and he brought up a great point at the meeting. He said, “We are a place for a lot of restaurants, the service staff, the wait staff, the back of the house. When they get off, they like to have a beer or two with friends. We’re a destination for that and now they’re going to have to stay inside.”
The growth of downtown Dunedin since 2011 necessitates change. I love going out in downtown Dunedin. Though my days of staying out past 10:00 P.M. have passed me by, I can see why pushing forward with this amendment would give downtown Dunedin some vibrancy and be a real positive for bars and restaurants. When I think back to my “going out late” nights, I remember going to a club and then being hungry after and wanting to grab a bite. Imagine going to Blur in downtown Dunedin, burning off some energy dancing, and then wanting to go enjoy some outdoor dining at the Living Room. It would be nice to have that option to go there after midnight for some delicious food.
So what happens next? The amendment will be brought up in a City of Dunedin Commission meeting and be voted on. The City Commission meeting will take place on Thursday, August 1 at 6 P.M. The meeting will take place at Dunedin City Hall. So there should be some resolution on this matter at some point this week. We will keep an eye on this story.
