The sign may still say ‘temporary’, but Phillips Brewery’s roadside patio which popped up in the pandemic is now here for good.
“We applied to make our temporary patio a permanent patio, and it was really well received by council,” said Matt Phillips, founder of Phillips Brewing.
The vote by Victoria city council was unanimous Thursday, making Phillips the first pandemic patio in the city of Victoria to become officially permanent.
“We’re really happy they see the value in these patios. I think they do a great job of animating the downtown core. And is an important part of getting people downtown,” said Phillips.
Phillips Brewing is likely the first of many Victoria restaurants and bars which will apply to make their pandemic patios permanent, and the city’s mayor says it’s likely other applications would share the same success.
“The Phillips approval was unanimous and I expect that we’ll see that with the majority of patios that come forward wanting to be made permanent,” said Lisa Helps, mayor of Victoria. “It’s one of the silver linings of the pandemic.”
READ MORE: Patios approved for another year by Victoria city council
Kori Sidaway
