Addison Restaurants Fear Proposed Patio License Could Affect Business

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ADDISON (CBSDFW.COM) - A controversial proposal in Addison has some restaurant owners considering closing their doors.

Tuesday night the Addison City Council will consider requiring restaurants in the Addison Circle area wanting to set up a sidewalk patio to obtain a license.

For Astoria Caffe's owner, Nick Vladov, he worries the restrictions to obtain a patio license will put him out of business.

"Our business is 80 percent outside," he explained.

Vladov said in the eight years since he opened his European-style street café along Addison Circle, he has never once heard a complaint about his patio.

According to the proposal that will go in front of city council on Tuesday, license agreements would not be considered for patio areas within ten feet of the street.

Restaurants would also have to pay a yearly $1,000 fee to set up a patio on the public right-of-way.

In a statement the city said it is trying to "balance public safety and the ability for the public to use the public side walk with the desire to accommodate requests by local businesses to have private patios."

The city said it hopes to strike a "delicate balance" as it strives to promote a walkable, pedestrian friendly city.

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