With fall-like temperatures beginning to become the norm in Fountain Hills, a number of restaurants in town are showing an interest in expanding their outdoor dining to take advantage of the ambiance, as well as provide greater spacing for coronavirus safety.

“We have received a few inquiries from restaurant owners wanting to set up temporary outdoor seating areas during the pandemic,” said Farhad Tavassoli, senior planner for the Town of Fountain Hills.

Those interested are being advised to file an application for a temporary use permit (TUP).

These permit requests are reviewed by staff with various town departments, Development Services, Building Safety, Planning and Zoning and Public works.

“We look at factors such as ADA compliance, impacts on parking and design considerations,” Tavassoli said.

TUPs are issued for periods of up to six months.

Tavassoli said the TUP provisions differ from the rules that allow permanent outdoor dining at restaurants.

“Permanent outdoor seating areas are visibly and fully integrated with the restaurant premises. Temporary seating areas can be modular,” Tavassoli said. “An example of this is the pop-up patio parklet, which is prefabricated and customizable to provide extensions to existing outdoor seating areas or to provide temporary outdoor seating on parking surfaces near the restaurant entrance.”

Tavassoli said that despite the inquiries, he has not yet received a formal request for temporary outdoor seating.