04 Nov Message from Councilmember Allan Domb
Councilmember, Allan Domb, had such a great time seeing people in person again and enjoying the events that make Philadelphia such a fun and vibrant place to be. While we all continue following the City’s safety guidelines to keep everyone safe and healthy, Allan Domb has enjoyed every opportunity to get back into our neighborhoods and support our local communities, businesses and institutions that make this city so special.
Recently, he was at an outdoor festival and met with many local food vendors, retail operators, restaurant owners, and many others – all saying the same thing. They want to be here in our city, but they need our city leaders to understand their needs as they adjust to this new environment.
Well, he has been listening and doing everything I can to help our city understand that we must use this moment in time to reimagine who and what we want to be in Philadelphia and act on the best practices from these last 20 months to position our city for the future.
Since the very beginning of the pandemic, he has been meeting with industry experts and businesses small and large to find out what they need to keep their doors open and people employed. Out of this work came the creation of a hospitality working group that has been essential to establishing policies and regulations to adapt to the new environment. This group includes more than 100 individuals who represent neighborhoods, community business corridors, art and culture organizations, business owners, disability advocates, city promotion agencies, and many others.
With their input, he has introduced legislation that would allow citywide outdoor dining to continue and help the hospitality industry survive and thrive well into the future. We need to show residents and visitors something different – something that brings people together and back to Philadelphia to enjoy our creative economy. Outdoor dining offers us an exciting opportunity to draw people in. What makes us different than the surrounding counties is our ability to create spaces that aren’t replicable elsewhere. World-class, citywide outdoor dining that is properly regulated, equitably distributed, and fairly implemented is something we should all expect from our city government in this day in age.
We have a lot of work ahead of us to make outdoor dining a permanent, fair, and equitable reality for our city’s future. That is why he is asking everyone to show their support for these efforts and help one of our city’s greatest assets — our hospitality industry. He encourages you to sign our petition and support our efforts to adopt legislation that would allow restaurants to have permanent outdoor dining that is approved and regulated by a centralized authority.
Let’s take advantage of what we’ve learned through this pandemic and push for what works for our City. Please join me in this fight for a more equitable, fun, and vibrant Philadelphia.
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