Hello Portlanders,
The PBOT Outdoor Dining & Retail monthly spotlight is back for the month of August to showcase the amazing work Eris Cocktail Lounge has done to activate our city's streets. For this spotlight edition, we had the pleasure of speaking with Tony Pepe, the owner of the restaurant located at 817 SE 34th Ave. Tony shared with us the value of community and how the street seat has provided additional outdoor seating and a space for people to connect. Tony shares that inside his restaurant is a wall of rotating art pieces from local artists that typically stick around for a month or two. The Outdoor Dining and Retail program is as much about providing businesses with extra seating in the street as it is about connecting community members, and we think it's fantastic that this business is doing so indoors and outdoors.
As part of the application process for an Outdoor Dining Permit, Eris Cocktail Lounge upgraded a street seat that used to belong to a previous business at the location. The inspection report, which was provided by one of our Outdoor Dining technicians, aided Tony and his contractors in the modifications they made to the street seat. Applicants receive their inspection report before being issued a provisional permit, which allows businesses time to make physical changes before a final permit is issued.
Street Seat Design
The star of the show here, and the reason why we were so excited to talk with Tony, is the high-quality ramp they added, providing access from the sidewalk to the platform. Tony and his contractors went above and beyond with their attention to detail in building their platform's ADA ramp. They thoroughly ensured that the ramp followed the requirements listed on page 23 of PBOT's Outdoor Dining Design Guidelines:
- The ramp must have a 32- to 42-inch-tall vertical element to protect pedestrians from tripping hazards. In the case of Eris Cocktail Lounge, the tree to the right of the ramp in the photo above combined with the planter to the left of the ramp provide sufficient protection for pedestrians
- The slope of the ramp must not exceed 1 in 12. For every 12 inches of horizontal length, the ramp cannot rise more than 1 inch. Ramps must not extend into the Pedestrian Through Zone, which varies in size based on the width of your sidewalk.
- The ramp must have a minimum width of 36 inches to ensure accessibility onto the street seat platform.
- The ramp surface must be slip-resistant.
- The total rise of the ramp must not exceed 6 inches.
- There must be a 48 by 48-inch clear landing area for wheelchairs on the platform and on the sidewalk. Tables on the platform may sit in the free landing area as long as they are movable. Please work with those using your platform to make sure that tables are moved if needed for accessibility.
In addition to the remarkable ADA ramp displayed in the image above, Tony added a toe-rail to the structure, preventing items from rolling off the platform onto the street. According to page 21 of the Outdoor Dining and Retail program's design guidelines, toe-rails should be installed along the bottom of a street seat's fence or wall and have no greater than a 2-inch vertical gap from the platform floor to the toe-rail. The toe-rail must extend to a minimum height of 6 inches above the platform.
To current and future applicants:
If you would like to build or renew outdoor seating, our permit technicians will guide you through the inspection process to make sure that permit requirements are met, supporting safety and accessibility in the street. Follow this link if you are looking to apply for or renew an Outdoor Dining & Retail permit.
Thank you to Tony and Eris Cocktail Lounge for participating in this spotlight! Also, congratulations to them on recently celebrating their first year in business!
For more information:
PBOT Outdoor Dining Team | 503-823-4026