2020 BIA Road Closure Expression of Interest
Please note: As we receive further questions and inquiries, we will update the information on this page.
The City of Windsor is taking action to help small businesses, restaurants and the hospitality sector prepare for a very different 2020 “patio season.”
While bars and restaurants remain closed to the public, in preparation for future staged reopenings of the hospitality industry across Ontario, City Council has passed the following measures to help reduce the burden on Windsor area bars and restaurants:
“That Business Improvement Areas (BIA) within the City of Windsor be requested to submit plans forthwith for any temporary closure of roads and/or sidewalks to facilitate proper physical distancing while encouraging patrons to support local businesses within a BIA.”
Frequently Asked Questions:
What does the initiative mean?
All fees, including Road Closure Fees, Special Event Fee, Noise By-law, Letter of Non Objection (LNO), and Fire Inspection fees will be waived for BIA’s applying under this initiative to temporarily close a road that includes the sidewalk to facilitate proper physical distancing within their district. See breakdown below of fees waived for further information.
How does a BIA submit a plan for a temporary road closure under the above initiative?
Proposals Deadline: June 12, 2020.
Applications will continue to be reviewed on a priority basis after the deadline.
All proposals will be reviewed by the Special Events Resources Team (SERT) prior to approval. Approval for Temporary Road Closures must be granted by the Office of the Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Public Works and City of Windsor Police.
When proposing a timeframe and date for your road closure, we recommend working collectively with other BIA's to ensure duplicates of road closure/activity is not proposed along the same timeframe/dates.
Notice: The event, the event organizers; the applicant; and the applicant’s officers, servants, agents, volunteers, and patrons further agree to comply with the most up to date regulations made under the Emergency Management and Civil Protection Act and any other legislation in place to protect the health and safety of people in response to COVID-19.
Can a restaurant or bar extend their service into the roadway under this initiative?
Yes, under the initiative, the BIA would apply for a road closure, and individual restaurants would be able to extend their service onto the roadway under the provisions of the Alcohol and Gaming Commission of Ontario (AGCO)
I am an individual business owner – can I apply for a road closure under this initiative?
Under the Initiative listed above, only BIA’s are able to apply. Please contact your representing BIA to discuss, or contact our Special Events Team.
I am not part of a BIA – can I apply?
The above initiative for road closure does not apply for individual businesses but for BIA districts. If you are looking to install a sidewalk cafe, please contact our engineering department at
engineeringdept@citywindsor.ca. If you are looking to expand your liquor license service onto private property (e.g. parking lot) and or you are a business that is not part of a BIA, please contact our Special Events Team for further details.
What are the associated fees waived under the initiative?
- Road Closure Fee - $154.50 per event
- Special Event Permit Fee - $127.50 per day
- Noise By-Law Waiver (applies when amplified music is present) - $103.00
- Letter of Non-Objection (applies when requesting an LNO for Temporary Extension of Service) - $77.25
- Fire Inspection Fee - $300 for new or $175 for recurring events
Above fees are waived only for the 2020 under the above initiative.
The Event Organizer is responsible for the purchase or rental of the required traffic control signage and any other costs associated with safely securing and maintaining the closure.
Does the above initiative support street festivals and animation of the BIA area?
The purpose of the initiative is to facilitate proper physical distancing while encouraging patrons to support local businesses within a BIA. The initiative is not intended to increase social gatherings but rather to assist in social distancing of patrons and allow businesses to be able to operate under current Provincial guidelines. At this time, under the current provincial regulation for social gatherings due to COVID-19, this initiative does not include festivals and/or animation along the road closure.
Does the BIA apply for the sidewalk/road closures and then the businesses apply for their patio extension? Some businesses want to expand their patios for quite a few weekends into the street.
Under the above initiative, a business can not expand onto the street unless there is a full road closure initiated by the BIA. If an individual business would like to expand their patio onto public right of way (e.g. sidewalk), we recommend contacting the engineering department for a sidewalk cafe permit. If you are looking to expand your liquor licence service onto private property (e.g. parking lot) and/or you are a business that is not part of a BIA, please contact our Special Events Team for further details.
Does this apply to bars and restaurants only when they can re-open? Or, could the patios be used as a waiting room, serving drinks, for people to pick up their food?
Currently, under the provincial guidelines due to COVID-19, bars and restaurants are only able to offer take-out food service and alcohol only if permitted under the guidelines of the AGCO.
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