News Photo by Steve Schulwitz Zoe Boyle, serves up some tortilla chips and salsa to a table of customers who are having lunch at Mango’s Tequila Bar in Alpena. Mango’s offers outdoor dining in the warmer months. The City of Alpena could amend its zoning ordinance to more closely regulate outdoor dining to make sure customers and pedestrians remain safe when space is limited.

ALPENA — Outdoor dining in Alpena has become a popular way for people to enjoy a bite to eat and sip a cocktail.

But at some of the popular eating and drinking establishments where outdoor service is offered, there is a limited amount of space for pedestrians to pass by.

To help reduce the risks – and still allow businesses to offer outdoor dining – the City of Alpena is considering amending a portion of its zoning ordinance to provide a new approval process and clearer procedures and standards for outdoor seating and service on private property, as well the public right-of-way.

A public hearing will be held at 6 p.m. on March 8 about the proposed changes to the zoning ordinance.

Director of Planning, Development and Zoning Montiel Birmingham said because of the popularity of outdoor dining, crowding can become an issue when many people try to navigate the narrow downtown sidewalks.

She said updating the zoning ordinance will also help ensure the steps business owners need to take to get permission to offer outdoor service are simple and reduce the chance they make changes to their property to add seating without city consent.

She said a business that wants to offer outdoor dining needs to submit an application as well as a drawing or design plans, so the city can make sure it complies with regulations before being approved.

Outdoor dining that allows alcohol to be served requires approval from the state.

“We had a few instances where people moved forward with outdoor dining and then they didn’t comply,” Birmingham said. “It will also help people know what to do before they get too far into a project.”

The city knows the popularity of people being able to eat, drink, and congregate downtown helps area businesses. Birmingham said the city wants to work with them to be sure their customers are accommodated, but everyone remains safe too.

It is very beneficial and it is appealing to residents and visitors,” she said. “People want to be outside and enjoy the weather and we encourage it. It is a win-win for everyone.”

Anne Gentry, the Alpena Downtown Development Authority executive director, said the DDA agreed some tweaks to outdoor dining need to be made, especially downtown where sidewalks can become crowded.

Gentry said better placement of tables and chairs, bike racks, and trash receptacles could help loosen congestion, as well as developing the allies near local bars and restaurants to accommodate more seating and wider walkways.

“We’re not trying to make anything difficult for people, but we just wanted to have a process so we can make sure there is enough space to do it,” Gentry said. “We can do a better layout of the stuff and utilize the space better, the businesses better and use the alleys. We just need to be more creative in how we use the space we have.”

Steve Schulwitz can be reached at 989-358-5689 at sschulwitz@thealpenanews.com. Follow him on Twitter @ss_alpenanews.com.