Forest City Council Ponders Outdoor Seating by Downtown Stores

The Forest City Council is looking into whether restaurants and bars should have outdoor seating particularly on Friday and Saturday nights. Rick and Kristie Wiley own Sweet Emmy Lou’s which is an ice cream shop on Clark Street. According to Rick Wiley, the seating would be in place on a daily basis when the shop appears to be the busiest.

The purpose is twofold. The first is to expand seating and the second is to take advantage of the evening weather and have customers sit outside if they want to.

Businesses along Clark Street such as the Paddlers Tap already take advantage of the parking space in front of their stores to have outdoor seating during certain business hours and dates.

According to Wiley, his neighboring businesses are in favor of it.

Some in the city administration expressed concerns about whether this would impede traffic. Wiley assured those present that measures would be taken to prevent that.

There were concerns that traffic from the intersection may be a hazard for those in the outdoor setting despite the curb jutting out from the sidewalk to mark where parallel parking begins. Councilman Tony Mikes registered his thoughts on the issue.

The city agreed to allow Sweet Emmy Lou’s to have the outdoor seating but will require a formal agreement in the near future.