BELFAST, Maine — For owner of Vinolio Veronica Sazera, the ability to have outdoor seating at her shop on Main Street in downtown Belfast has been a real boost.
"It's really helped us have a better summer and helped us bounce back from the spring," Sazera said.
With little to no room in her shop for seating, Sazera explained how the space allows her to better connect with her customers.
"It's so neat that people will go out and they'll be on their computer having a glass of wine or meeting friends. I tell people you should go there, or you should try this and that and I get to let people really know what's around here," Sazera said.
Just up the street, though, staff at Out On A Whimsey Toys said the outdoor dining spaces are taking up valuable parking spots for shoppers.
"Some of our customers have said they just don't come to downtown Belfast anymore because of the lack of parking," manager Bryant Hall said.
According to Hall, it's not just impacting his business, but others as well.
"I understand completely why a restaurant would want to use this outdoor space, but for the rest of us we don't really benefit from that," Hall said.
To help address some of the concerns, Belfast Mayor Eric Sanders said the city is now changing the rental price from $250 every six months to $750, as well as putting in more rules surrounding the appearance of the seating areas.
"We're raising the costs to hopefully improve the city and to offset the loss of parking or things like that," Sanders said.
A change that Sazera said she is fine with taking on, but one that Hill is unsure of.
"I don't think it makes much of a difference. I think it's still a really good deal for the restaurants," Hall said.
City officials said they will be taking feedback about the outdoor dining services program and will have another revaluation in six months. You can email public@cityofbelfast.org with any comments about the outdoor dining services program.