KANSAS CITY, Mo. — East 14th Street from Main to Walnut streets adjacent to the Kansas City Power and Light District closed to traffic Friday night as new regulations went into effect in Kansas City, Missouri.
The street closure, which likely will remain through at least June, provides additional outdoor seating for the restaurants near the entertainment district, including The Dubliner and Bristol Seafood + Steak + Social.
Several Power and Light restaurants reopened for in-person dining last week with several more welcoming customers back inside this week.
The outdoor seating is designed to help restaurants expand seating capacity, while adhering to the city’s 10/10/10 reopening restrictions amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
This week, the KCMO City Council approved three ordinances designed to help local restaurants, including one that would allow restaurants to expand into parking lots, streets and sidewalks to accommodate more patrons.
Restaurants will have to obtain a free permit from the city.
Before the city council’s action, which also allows alcohol service in the expanded seating and temporarily suspended requirements for adjacent parking, many restaurants and bars were severely limited to how many patrons they could serve.
Tables must be spaced 10 feet apart under city guidelines, which leaves many restaurants with a dining room full of empty seats.
The restrictions are more manageable for larger restaurants, but they severely limited the number of guests smaller restaurants could serve.
We've created a Facebook group, We're Open Kansas City, where members of the community can post businesses serving their community.
