GREEN BAY, WI (WTAQ) – A new outdoor dining space will soon be open in downtown Green Bay.
Downtown Green Bay Incorporated is turning part of an Adams Street parking lot into a place for people to enjoy their lunch. The 20 spots closest to Washington Street near the Green Bay Packers Heritage Trail Plaza will be converted from parking to dining.
“We decided that this central location would be great for a downtown dining room,” says Executive Director Jeff Mirkes, “We know that many people will patronize the restaurant if they have an outdoor dining option…We first checked in with a lot of the property owners, a lot of the restaurants – ‘would you like this? Would your patrons like it?’ – and they said yes, please do it – so we jumped on it.”
About fifteen restaurants in the area were on board with the idea. Many of them do not currently have outdoor seating options. People can bring takeout from any local eatery and dine in the lot. Mirkes hopes it will spur business and re-ignite relationships.
“If anything it would act more like a public park where it’s set up to help the nearby restaurants,” Mirkes tells WTAQ News, “Downtown is a social gathering place that is still important in our community, and we want people to do it in a safe way.”
It won’t be a full-service type of program, however, and people will be asked to clean up after themselves. The plans for the area include cleansers and sanitizers for people to clean up tables and keep the space as sanitary as possible.
“We are coming up with a strategy for tables, chairs, trash receptacles – we’re working with the city and making sure that the theory and properly barricaded off because we’re taking a parking bay and turning it into a dining room,” Mirkes says.
The dining space is expected to run on a trial basis throughout the month of August. The agreement with the city’s Redevelopment Authority, who owns the lot, expires August 31st.
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