DDA weighs platform cafe pros, cons

Oct. 22—TRAVERSE CITY — Downtown Development Authority board members want more information on the possibility of purchasing platform cafes and leasing them to restaurants, including potential drawbacks.

The board discussed the pros and cons of buying the platform cafes, which pictures show look like tables and chairs on movable porches that sit in curbside parking spots, at their meeting Friday.

Jean Derenzy, DDA CEO, said few restaurants have tried it, even after city commissioners recently agreed to allow platform cafes in the 100 and 200 blocks of East Front Street.

"We reached out and talked to them and really, it's about storage, it's cost and assembly for the restaurants," she said.

Several board members said they liked the idea, especially for how it would add to the downtown's ambiance. But they agreed there are practical considerations, and a few said they opposed the idea.

Mayor Richard Lewis said the city would have to figure out where to store them as well. He also wanted to know who would be responsible for placing, maintaining and removing them.

The question of parking stirred considerable debate, with Lewis noting that platform cafes would be taking up "prime" parking spots if placed on East Front Street.

"We're struggling and having conversations about parking and here we're taking parking off of Front Street, which is prime parking for retailers in downtown, which they don't want to do," he said.

Board member Pam Marsh, who co-owns Red Ginger, said she wouldn't want to take up any streetside parking for platform cafes. Plus, she figured she would need at least three more employees to support the added seating.

Scott Hardy, the board's vice-chairman, said he agreed with Marsh. City residents have come to accept the downtown is hard to access, between tight parking, frequent construction and major upcoming projects, he said.

"I like the idea of the platform cafes, but I think it's ultimately up to the private sector to determine if they can staff it, if they can pay for it, what are the hidden costs," he said. "I'm not sure the market is there for it at this point, and I don't like the idea of anything that limits access to the downtown."

The argument about parking problems didn't hold up for board member Katy Bertodatto, she said. She pointed to the board's previous actions, where they agreed to set monthly parking rates at Old Town Parking Garage at $30 per month, and give away up to 50 monthly passes to downtown employees who complete a parking survey.

Those moves aimed to turn around parking rates at Old Town Parking Garage that slumped during the pandemic and haven't recovered, DDA Transportation Mobility Director Nicole VanNess said — the average occupancy is 21 percent between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. on weekdays.

"We talked a lot in this meeting about reactivating Old Town Deck because it's 80 percent vacant," Bertodatto said. "That's bananas to follow that up and say we have a parking issue. I don't think we do, I think we have a perception issue."

What's needed is to convince people to park and then walk a few blocks instead of expecting a spot right outside the door, board member Steve Nance said. He hears more complaints about not being able to get into restaurants than about parking. Platform cafes could help by giving smaller places more seating.

Board Chairman Gabe Schneider said he saw platform cafes in New York, and said they created a close-in feeling in a big city.

And board member Pam Demerle said that as a resident, she loved the idea. She felt frustrated to see what other small cities have compared to Traverse City.

"I would really love to see us invest in infrastructure like this that kind of revitalizes and reinvests in outdoor spaces," she said.

It's hard to park in lots of desirable downtowns, board member Peter Kirkwood said — he related his own experience in San Francisco, and quipped about parking when Schneider commented on his New York trip.

Life happening outside is part of what makes a downtown a lively and attractive place, Kirkwood said.

"I'm sensitive to the parking thing and I think it should be analyzed whether the benefit to the downtown outweighs the costs of sacrificing one or more parking spaces downtown," he said. "However I don't agree it's not a positive thing for the vibe of downtown."

Board members could decide on buying a platform cafe at their Nov. 18 meeting, Schneider said.

Derenzy in a memo wrote that a 10-by-20-foot platform cafe from MODSTREET would cost $31,722, although she told the board that she recently found local manufacturers that could make one.