Eugene city officials removed outdoor tables and chairs from the downtown area last year, but new food carts want them back.
Eugene has struggled for years over whether to provide temporary outdoor tables and chairs in the downtown area, and removed them last year to prevent loitering and other crimes.
As new food carts open up at the Broadway Plaza in an attempt to revitalize the struggling district, the issue with outdoor seating has come up again. Opinions are mixed among the small business owners who run the carts.
The question is: Should there be tables and chairs for the food cart customers and, if so, who should provide them?
Some cart owners say the city — which wants to revitalize the downtown — should help by providing the tables and chairs.
Other cart owners oppose that idea, saying that if the city provides the furniture, the vendors can’t limit who would sit there. That could open the door to loiterers and other non-customers taking over the seating — something the Eugene Police Department opposes.
Read the full story at The Register Guard.
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