Photo courtesy Downtown MHK, Inc.

New outdoor dining platforms will soon be constructed next to AJ’s Pizza and Pool House Kitchen and Bar in downtown Manhattan.
The move, which was unanimously approved by the city commission, will bring the number of outdoor dining platforms in Manhattan to nine.
Mayor Wynn Butler says he supports the decision because of how the other platforms have helped downtown businesses during the pandemic.
“I also felt it was very important to do so because the government put them in a bad situation by limiting the amount of patrons they can put in their restaurant,” Butler said. “So this expanded it and caused them to get more revenue.”
He also claims the increased capacity at these restaurants has also increased tax revenue for the city through heightened alcohol sales.
Commissioner Usha Reddi also supported the decision. However, she says it’s unfair that these businesses will not have to pay for the platforms while other businesses have to pay back pandemic-relief loans to the city.
“The fairness issues has been bothering me for some time,” Reddi said. “Not that I don’t believe in downtown businesses, but I believe in all of the other businesses as well and they have to apply for that money.”
The two new platforms will cover a total of about seven parking stalls.
According to Adam Peyton, the owner of AJ’s Pizza, a redesign of the AJ’s Pizza parking lot will add three to four additional parking stalls for customers.
Gina Scroggs, Downtown Manhattan Inc. executive director, says there are about 3,500 parking stalls, including those located in the mall parking lot, in downtown Manhattan.
The project will cost the city about $60,000 but could be eligible for future CARES or SPARK funding.
The total design and construction cost of the seven original platforms came in at about $218,755, just over $31,000 short of the original $250,000 budget. The remaining funds will be used to help fund the new platforms.

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