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  • Parklet Program Pilot Launches Downtown - Feedback wanted!

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    If you’re looking for a nice place to enjoy some summer shade, look no further than downtown Lethbridge. The City of Lethbridge, in partnership with the Heart of our City committee, is piloting a new project to provide outdoor seating spaces for downtown businesses in the form of a Parklet.

    A Parklet is a temporary seating area that replaces one or two parking spaces by extending from the sidewalk in front of the business into the street. Parklets were first introduced in 2005 in San Francisco and today are a mainstay in communities small and large, from Fernie, BC to New York, New York.

    More people and more activity creates a more vibrant downtown. Parklets help foster a sense of community by creating places for people to sit, relax, visit and enjoy the city. By converting parking space to people space, Parklets make cities more welcoming and people-friendly. They support local businesses by create a sense of place, beautify the streets and make walkable destinations for residents.

    The pilot program offers two forms of support for businesses interested in establishing a Parklet in front of their business. The first option is financial support for the design and construction of a Parklet including a matching grant up to $1,000. The second option is to borrow the City owned Parklet infrastructure at no cost to the business. With either option, the pilot program will also cover the $300 fee for a Parklet permit.

    As a pilot, the Heart of Our City committee will be gathering community feedback from businesses, customers and clients to determine if this is something that could become a more permanent fixture in downtown Lethbridge in years to come.

    For more information on this and other projects to enhance public spaces in the downtown visit www.lethbridge.ca/publicspaces.

    Residents can give feedback on the Parklet pilot project here.

    To inquire about piloting a Parklet at your downtown location contact Andrew Malcolm, Urban Revitalization Manager at 403-320-3926.