The Chattanooga Department of Transportation will let businesses use certain public spaces to increase capacity safely during the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The pilot program, Streets as Places: Reimagining the Outdoors – or SPROUTS – is a retail and restaurant recovery pilot program that will help businesses, restaurants, services and community agencies support social distancing inside and outside their buildings, according to a press release.
“We are talking about things like sidewalks and public spaces … where traditionally we would not allow the restaurants to have more space,” Mayor Andy Berke told the media Friday. “That way they can try and distance their customers more.”
Berke also said that the program will help create more foot traffic to boost business after weeks of shutdowns to curtail the virus took a toll on many business’ revenue.
“[We’re] trying to ensure that there are more pedestrian-friendly areas around these businesses to generate more traffic and hopefully help them as they reopen,” Berke said. “[We’re] making sure that we are taking advantage of this moment when there’s a little less traffic on our public spaces and we know that businesses need this to try and be safe.”