This year’s outdoor café season is in full swing in the Center City. The Planning and Development Department has currently issued 26 permits totally over 11,800 SF of public sidewalk with a capacity of 1,314 patrons. Since its inception in 1996, the outdoor café program has been credited as one of the major turning points in the revitalization of Downtown Champaign.
The program offers permits to private businesses for $0.50 per square foot. Owners are allowed to serve food and drinks on public property as well as offer limited music. So far this year, three new establishments have added outdoor options: Derailed, Mia Za’s, and Zorba’s. For more information on the program, please contact T.J. Blakeman, AICP in the City of Champaign Planning and Development Department at 217-403-8800 or [email protected].
