Permitting Fees No Longer Part of Blue Ridge Sidewalk Ordinance

The second reading of the proposed sidewalk ordinance for downtown Blue Ridge (read first draft of proposed sidewalk ordinance here) came up today in the special – called meeting of the City of Blue Ridge’s City Council.  The Council revised some portions of the proposed ordinance.  No one spoke about the ordinance during the Public Comments section of the meeting.

The changes the city wants to make to the first draft are in vendor box and sidewalk decoration permitting.  The Council decided not to go with the $50 permit fee suggested in the first draft of the ordinance.  The city will still require vendor boxes, like those that carry newspapers and real estate magazines, to have a permit but without a fee.  The city wants to start permitting these boxes so it can maintain a contact list of vendor box owners.

The Council is still undecided on where owners can place their vendor boxes.  If a store has more than a 60-inch wide sidewalk in front of the store, the store owners can let the vendors place a box there.  The Council cannot decide if it will have two or four locations on public property downtown where owners can place their vendor boxes.

The proposed ordinance also describes fines for violating the ordinance.  The first violation is a warning; the second, a $100 fine; and, the third may result in maximum penalties allowed under the City Charter.  Also, the Council decided to keep the regulation that umbrella over the sidewalk must be 7 feet high and free of signs.

The second reading of the now revised Sidewalk Ordinance will be at the next Blue Ridge City Council meeting scheduled for May 10th at 6 pm.

The City Council is rewriting the Sidewalk Ordinance because the current one does not allow any items on the sidewalk.  And, it has become increasingly apparent to city that it needs to regulate what is on the sidewalks to make sure all types of people, including those in wheelchairs and with strollers, can navigate the sidewalk and that downtown stores are considerate about how one store’s sidewalk displays can affect another store’s customer access.

See Related Post:    City Council Presents Changes to Sidewalk Ordinance 

Overcoming Obstacles on Blue Ridge Sidewalks