Sidewalk Cafes Enliven Downtown Streets

Benefits Enhance the Urban Experience, Promote Use of Public Space

WASHINGTON, DC – Sidewalk cafes are “a true indicator of street life and a clear measure that Downtown is becoming a place where people can have remarkable urban experiences,” according to Richard H. Bradley, executive director of the Downtown DC Business Improvement District (BID).

Thirteen years ago, there were very few sidewalk cafes in Downtown DC; this summer, the Downtown BID’s second Annual Inventory of Sidewalk Cafes shows there are 123, with a total of approximately 3,225 seats. This is up from 95 cafes and approximately 2,665 seats a year ago—a 29.5% increase. The Downtown BID and the District Department of Transportation (DDOT) have encouraged the increase in the number of outdoor cafes and supported their use.

The Office of Planning’s (OP) 2000 Downtown Action Agenda identified outdoor dining as an element that can enhance Downtown as a physical place. It proposed establishing a task force to develop a comprehensive plan and simplify the procedures for public improvements in Downtown DC. Through its participation in various city task forces, the Downtown BID has actively promoted sidewalk cafes as a high priority amenity.

Also, as part of its placemaking initiative, the Downtown BID has made its staff available to advise restaurants on how to best obtain sidewalk café permits through DDOT’s Public Space Permit office and occasionally assist with some details of the application process. Among those who have received assistance:

Lawson’s Gourmet. “We hired lawyers and an architect to have plans drawn up for an outdoor cafe, but we were denied a permit for years and years,” said Shannon Creighton, Lawson’s manager. “The Downtown BID was a tremendous help. With their assistance, we were able to present colorful drawings showing where the tables would be set up and where the manholes and grates were located. We gained valuable knowledge about things that were unknown to us before.”

Lawson’s received its sidewalk café permit in April. According to Creighton, revenues have soared since the restaurant introduced a single row of six tables and 12 chairs and added a bit of character to the 13th and F Streets streetscape.

Oyamel. Rob Wilder, chief executive officer of ThinkFoodGroup, which owns several Downtown restaurants, said the Downtown BID helped the company design the outdoor café at Oyamel, a popular Mexican restaurant on 7th Street.

“The Downtown BID provided invaluable assistance in planning and licensing a successful, small patio area,” according to Wilder. “The BID staff helped us understand a variety of city agency regulations and requirements and then helped guide our team and the city to achieve the best outcome for all.”

Oyamel, located on the corner of 7th and D Streets, has 16 seats at its outdoor café. The additional seating adds more than $100,000 to ThinkFoodGroup’s annual sales and contributes more than $10,000 per year to the city’s tax revenues. Said Wilder: “The additional seating brings life and energy to a ‘side’ street in our vibrant neighborhood.”

Absolute Thai. The Downtown BID helped the Chinatown restaurant, located at 521 G Street, develop a plan that was acceptable to the Public Space Committee. The Committee suggested that the eatery seek the Downtown BID’s support to improve its permit application and Committee presentation. As a result of the BID’s help, the restaurant launched its outdoor café in the spring. It has 12 seats and three tables.

The Downtown BID’s 100 Safety/Hospitality and Maintenance employees, known as Downtown SAMs, and six-member Downtown Homeless Services Team have made Downtown streets a more inviting environment over the past decade. Working with partners in both the public and private realms, the organization is focused on creating remarkable urban experiences through exceptional placemaking. This entails refocusing attention on the quality of public spaces and infusing more sidewalk cafes into the landscape to create a sense of place and to make Downtown more vibrant, inviting and smart.

Whether enclosed or separated from pedestrians with decorative fencing, removable bollards or topiary trees, sidewalk cafes encourage more vibrant street life, offer a place to sit and relax, see and be seen and meet friends and bring more pedestrians to the neighborhood. 

From the simple to the sizeable, sidewalk cafes help animate streets in Downtown, throughout DC and in major capitals around the world. They not only promote the use and enjoyment of city space, they also enhance tourism, provide increased opportunities for handicapped accessibility to dining out and have a dramatic impact on urban streetscapes.

Internationally known placemaking expert Fred Kent, president of the Project for Public Spaces, enthusiastically supports sidewalk cafes as a way to add activity to public spaces. In 2008, the Downtown BID invited him to facilitate a daylong workshop as part of its placemaking initiative. Participants learned that simple elements—signage, traffic flow, street activation and seating options—could have a tremendous impact on an area’s appeal.

The Downtown BID is making progress on the placemaking front. Besides promoting the cafes, the organization recently worked with the DC Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs (DCRA) to create new regulations that will turn sidewalk vending into a more attractive amenity in the city. In addition, the Downtown BID has taken inventory of conditions in Downtown parks and has made recommendations and taken action to improve them.

“There’s no rule that says public spaces have to be boring,” according to Bradley. “Working along with our partners, we can transform the public environment in Downtown in ways that foster a sense of community and well-being.”

Brian Gober, the Downtown BID’s geographic information system (GIS) program assistant, conducts the Annual Inventory of Sidewalk Cafes during the summer months under the direction of Lito Tongson, the organization’s streetscape manager.