NORTH REDINGTON BEACH — The Town Commission voted unanimously April 9 to allow bars and restaurants in strip malls to serve alcohol in outdoor seating areas that cannot be fully enclosed, loosening a restriction that had limited on-premises consumption to walled-off spaces.
The modified ordinance, which passed 5-0 on first reading, applies to establishments where “enclosure on all sides is not possible due to the establishment’s location.” The business must be a permanent structure connected to the outdoor seating area and in compliance with all other provisions of Chapter 6 of the town code, which governs alcoholic beverages.
Under the previous ordinance, establishments could not serve beer, wine or liquor in areas that were not enclosed on all sides — a standard that effectively barred outdoor service at strip-mall restaurants and bars.
The revised ordinance requires that outdoor seating be “separated and buffered from the parking area by a fence, wall, or other structure approved by the building official.”
“This way, there is a separation between the outdoor area where alcoholic beverages are served and consumed and the parking area,” Town Clerk Mari Campbell said.
E-bike sidewalk ban passes on final reading
In other business, an ordinance prohibiting the operation of electric bicycles on town sidewalks passed unanimously on its second and final reading.
Retired Commissioner Gary Curtis asked whether a recently passed state law on e-bikes would affect the town’s ordinance. Curtis noted that the state law permits electric bicycles but limits them to 10 mph and requires a horn, bell or other audible warning device.
Town Attorney Jay Daigneault said the state law would likely have no bearing on the local ban.
“State law will probably not change what we are doing here,” Daigneault said.
Mayor Jay Super said the commission acted out of safety concerns.
“We addressed this over concerns about the way electric bicycles were being driven in the town,” Super said.