Georgetown restaurants may be able to expand their outdoor dining spaces soon by utilizing closed-off parking spaces via a new initiative the city is pursuing.

“Our economic team is working furiously to help develop a more robust ‘Shop Small’ campaign to encourage people to shop locally where it can be done safely, [such as] ordering takeout meals or shopping from local businesses online,” Community Services Director Jack Daly said to City Council on July 14.

Daly said there is a sentiment among downtown businesses that some patrons who do not want to dine indoors might be comfortable dining outdoors and that expanding outdoor seating would help draw that clientele. He said this could be achieved by closing parking spots to allow restaurants to put out more tables and chairs in those spaces.

“Of course, we’d work through ADA, traffic and public safety concerns,” Daly said. “But we wanted to make sure council is comfortable with the city leading an effort to expand outdoor dining options for downtown businesses before we develop the plan.”

All council members agreed the option should be pursued, though many noted that patrons may not utilize the space due to the heat. They also requested all businesses be taken into consideration, not just those located downtown.

Daly said staff will reach out to the businesses to work alongside them on developing the plan and will return to council with details. He said the proposal will likely be back in August for council’s review, and then, the initiative could be implemented in September, which could help address the heat issue.