At least one D.C. restaurant owner said she was told to dismantle her streatery even though her applications for a permanent street dining space are still pending.
“It worked for the past six years, why tear it down now?” said Patrice Cleary, chef and owner of in Mount Pleasant.
For months, the District Department of Transportation allowed restaurants seeking permanent streatery permits to continue operating existing structures, most of them constructed under special COVID-19 permits, while their applications moved through the approval process.
Temporary permit extensions expired May 31, and inspectors began enforcing new rules for permanent structures in June.
Cleary told Â鶹¹ÙÍø she has been compliant, but that multiple layers of bureaucracy are slowing the process for her and other restaurant owners.
“We just had an inspector come by over two weeks ago and said, ‘If you don’t have this structure down within two weeks, you’ll be fined $500,’ and the possibility of having this structure torn down by the city at three times the amount that it would normally would have been charged,” she said.
“Why would we be fined if we are doing everything correct but it’s being held up by the government? That’s not our fault,” Cleary said.
DDOT said it has given restaurants multiple deadline extensions and provided regular updates throughout the permitting process. The D.C. Department of Buildings has also started a fast-track review program aimed at accelerating approvals.
Officials said the tougher standards are designed to improve safety, ensure outdoor dining structures are more durable and maintain access to city streets.
While Cleary said she understands those goals, she believes her streatery and others like it have become centers of their community and should be preserved.
“To keep this structure would mean so much to the community, not just the restaurants that use it because it’s very much a community space,” Cleary said.
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