Northfield streamlines outdoor-dining permitting

As long as they comply with newly minted regulations covering safety, sound, parking and other issues, Northfield restaurants and food stores will no longer have to seek zoning approval to operate their outdoor dining areas.

Instead, they can get annual outdoor dining licenses.

The move scrapping special-use requirements for outdoor dining, which village trustees unanimously approved at their Dec. 2 meeting, is part of Northfield’s continuing efforts to keep and maintain economic and social vitality in the village’s center and its Central Avenue corridor.

Steve Gutierrez, Northfield’s community development director, said the licensure process would be easier for businesses to get, rather than having to ask for a special entitlement hearing.

Those have often taken months to complete, he told trustees. 

Gutierrez called the change a straightforward response to zoning code amendment discussions the board held earlier this year. In his written report, he says existing outdoor dining in the village center “has transformed it into a more engaging and desirable experience — essential building blocks for a vibrant downtown.” The licensing procedure could attract even more outdoor dining and restaurants willing to provide it, he said. 

He states in the report that village staff studied how neighboring communities regulate their outdoor dining operations, with the aim of creating regulations that would keep Northfield competitive without sacrificing basic protections for the village and area residents. 

As approved, the license would run for one year from the time of licensing or the calendar year, whichever is later. Outdoor dining areas that sit on public property like sidewalks aren’t allowed between Nov. 1 and March 31. 

Outdoor dining will now be allowed from 7 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays, and 7 a.m. to 11 p.m. on Fridays and Saturdays. Additionally, all dining areas will have to be insured. 

Off-street parking requirements will be flexible, with partial waivers possible if the village manager finds that enough parking can be provided for the license holder and other users of any particular parking area. Accessible parking requirements won’t be waived, however. 

Restaurant licensees wouldn’t have to pay more than their current $450 annual fee to operate outdoor dining areas. Those who want to operate outdoor dining that impinges on any public way will have to comply with more regulations, including an additional $50 annual fee. Their outdoor dining can’t obstruct traffic, pedestrians, fire hydrants, or crosswalks, nor can they place heating or electrical equipment on sidewalks or other public areas. 

Gutierrez said after the meeting that all restaurants in Northfield currently operate outdoor dining areas completely on private property; the new language was put in place to handle potential future situations. 

Every outdoor dining operator will have to comply with noise, lighting and parking regulations aimed at protecting neighbors. Live entertainment would only be allowed in areas that are at least 500 feet away from residences, and would be subject to Village Board approval, Gutierrez noted in his written report. 

At the meeting, he said operators of outdoor dining would only have to get approval for live entertainment once from the Village Board

Board member Charles Orth called the switch from special use to licensing long overdue, adding “I’m glad to see this.”

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