Houston Republic

In an effort to help local restaurants increase their capacity for serving customers while still staying within government directed guidelines for social distancing, the City of Houston is permitting them to use parking lots for outdoor dining as part of a program dubbed “More Space.”

To take advantage of the city’s offer to permit restaurants to convert parking spaces into dining spaces, an establishment will have to have off-street parking, according to the Office of Mayor Sylvester Turner. However, the program does come with a limitation, and restaurants can convert no more than 50% of their off-street parking for diners to eat in.

“This expanded outdoor dining space will enhance business and operations for restaurants and allow Houstonians to patronize businesses while following strict health and safety guidance,” the release states.

Development of the groundbreaking idea of letting people eat in parking spaces was a multi-department effort led by the city’s Planning and Development Department, according to the release. Input was gathered from individual restaurants and “an array of stakeholders.”

“Space can only do one thing at a time,” David Fields, Houston’s chief transportation planner, said. “It’s great that the city can prioritize space for customers to socially distance over space for parking that isn’t being used.”