Boston City Hall

Boston Mayor Marty Walsh Thursday announced the city was taking steps to help restaurants as they try to reopen, from removing or streamlining what his office called “outdated” regulations to creating a process to increase outdoor seating.

The city Licensing Board voted Thursday to enact three changes:

• Codifying its existing administrative review process for extending one-day outdoor permits.
• Removing the citywide ban on serving alcohol outdoors without a meal.
• Waiving fees for permitted outdoor spaces on public and private property on “a temporary, non-precedent setting basis.

“We’ve said from the beginning that Boston’s reopening process must take a cautious approach that puts science and public health at the forefront of our discussions,” Walsh said in a statement. “It’s my hope that these updated protocols will help ensure proper social distancing, and give much-needed assistance to the small businesses that are the lifeblood of Boston’s neighborhoods.”

The board is also sending restaurants and other businesses a questionnaire that will help the city identify opportunities for “temporary extensions onto outdoor space both on public and private property.” In a Thursday press conference, Walsh cited as an example “parklettes” that have occasionally been built in parking spaces in the city’s neighborhood business nodes during the summer months.

Walsh’s office said multiple city departments will still be required to review any change for its public safety implications. However, the administration aims to process and approve any of idea without a hearing process, fees or applications to multiple departments. So far, 147 businesses have replied to the questionnaire with ideas, Walsh said.

The city also has set up a website, boston.gov/business-ppe, to direct businesses to reliable sources of masks, gloves and cleaning supplies. The state is requiring all employers to provide their employees with personal protective equipment as they reopen their physical locations.