May 27

May 27 City solicits ideas from establishments as Rochester restaurants ready for reopening

News | 2020

The Rochester City Council approved new regulations Wednesday for restaurants and bars to move outside, allowing them to eventually take over certain streets and parks inside the city. The meeting marked a culmination of a week-long effort to help give a leg up to restaurants lacking outdoor space — now critical in the wake of Gov. Tim Walz’s ‘outdoor only’ phase of reopening the industry.

The council unanimously approved Mayor Kim Norton’s amendment to the city’s emergency order issued March 20, which authorizes key members of city government (clerk, administrator, attorney, public works director) to work with businesses, close streets, and use the city’s park system as temporary dining centers. The amendment requires businesses to follow the social distancing and capacity guidelines implemented by Gov. Walz.

Restaurants will not be allowed to simply set up shop in a park or in the middle of the street, however: any business owner hoping to expand their outdoor operation must fill out an online application with the city, and any business wanting to use public space will need to finalize agreements with the city at a pop-up station on the corner of 3rd Street and 1st Avenue SW.

(No appointment is required for the station — show up anytime between 8 a.m. and noon on Thursday, or 8 a.m to 4 p.m. on Friday).

Assistant City Administrator Aaron Parrish said the city is “strongly considering” shutting down Historic Third Street to serve as outdoor space for restaurants. He expects a decision to come before June 1, potentially allowing restaurants to open for outdoor business the first day they’re allowed to do so; however, the majority of locations across the city won’t be ready until Rochester Public Works inspects them to ensure ADA compliance.

Parrish added there will be more roadblocks to jump through, although the city is working to remove as many as possible.

“Each one of these [locations] is going to be a bit of a unique evaluation,” said Parrish. “We are very open to the idea of doing things in parks, and the Park Board’s provided that dispensation. [City Attorney] Jason [Loos] is actively working on an agreement for the use of one park. But if there’s a liquor dimension to the conversation, that could be more challenging because it might not meet the compact and contiguous requirements under the law. We will fully explore all the options with people, and we’ve asked the state to give some latitude in that at this point in time.”

Council Member Patrick Keane said he believes the city’s response to Covid-19 has been “focused on caution” thus far, and that focus has led to the opportunity currently presenting itself to the city.

“What I think we’re doing here is being responsive to the needs of the entire community,” said Keane. “We’re working in partnership with businesses, but they’ve also shown exceptional care and concern for public safety. We’re not doing this just to get around the rules.”

The official approval of the amendment comes as restaurants finalize their plans for reopening. Annie Henderson, co-owner of Forager Brewery, says her business will stick to their patio and not encroach on any public space.

The new opportunities didn’t go unnoticed, though, and she says the new plans will be a major boost to her circle of fellow restaurateurs.

“We’re excited for other restaurants to be able to utilize their patios,” said Henderson. “We have lots of friends in the industry who are not so fortunate to have such nice outdoor space available and ready to be built out. It seems like a very progressive thing to do at this time.”

Expect to see official communication on the city’s social media pages regarding when and where certain restaurants will be serving up their meals in the next few weeks.

Isaac Jahns is a Rochester native and a 2019 graduate of the Missouri School of Journalism. He reports on politics, business and music for Med City Beat.