Sidewalk cafes in Peoria will be subject to new requirements in a city-wide pilot program starting next year. The City Council approved changes including specific landscaping and lighting requirements for the cafes. City Public Works Director Mike Rogers says the new regulations eliminate a $1,000 permit fee to setup a sidewalk café:
“We want to make it very simple for the business owners who want to do this, and encourage them, not discourage them.”
Rogers says another change expands the possible sidewalk café area to the entire city starting next year, instead of just the downtown area.