No, outdoor dining isn’t under threat in Mount Vernon

If you, too, noticed the outdoor dining barriers along Mount Vernon’s North Charles Street have disappeared, have no fear.

The tables and chairs now stuffed onto the sidewalk in front of Dooby’s, The Helmand and My Thai Go are not the product of a new restriction on dining space. That extra area in the former parking lanes where the eateries previously sat guests is part of the city’s curbside commercial policy, which permits certain private facilities to use public space in the promotion of a “vibrant urban environment.”

But its use ruffled feathers this week when the city’s transportation agency said it warned the businesses about falling out of compliance with their permits and, in turn, the restaurateurs said that their space was both suddenly and unfairly taken.

The dispute began Sunday, when passersby on social media documented Department of Transportation staff removing barriers that had sectioned off space on North Charles Street for patio tables. Restaurant owner Helmand Karzai, who operates The Helmand, said he had no idea why his furniture was being moved when he saw the initial post on Facebook.

“It was a complete surprise to all of us,” he said.

That outdoor space is a tool to attract customers, especially as the weather warms, Karzai said. In Mount Vernon, the closures of beloved bars like The Brewer’s Art, the Mount Vernon Marketplace food hall and a long-awaited grocery store still stuck in limbo have fueled a struggling perception of the neighborhood. It was a concern for District 11 City Council member Zac Blanchard, who received multiple complaints about the “parklets” being moved.

“This situation is particularly sensitive because of how much the restaurant and retail sectors have been struggling in Mount Vernon,” he wrote in an email Monday to the transportation department that he shared with The Banner.

“We all want the parklets to stay in place,” wrote Blanchard, who added that they can be an important source of revenue for the community.

He asked the DOT to inform him before they remove any space or furniture being used by businesses so he can reach out to the owners directly.

In an emailed response to Blanchard on Monday, Luciano Diaz, DOT’s deputy chief of government relations, apologized that the businesses were caught off guard, but explained that letters sent in 2025 notified the property owners of the North Charles Street eateries that their facilities did not have the necessary permits for the spaces and would need to fill out an application.

Diaz said an inspector visited the locations the week of March 22 to verbally warn the businesses, and during the week of April 6, a “stop work order” was issued to remove the barriers.

The furniture was returned to the business owners and the barriers were sent to a Department of Transportation facility until permits for the spaces are acquired, according to the email. Such removals have previously occurred on a “handful of occasions” since the curbside program began in 2024, Diaz noted.

Blanchard recalled one instance when the agency planned to remove curbside barriers downtown before he stepped in.

DOT did not immediately respond to a separate request for comment.

WPM Real Estate Management, the property owner for Dooby’s, The Helmand and My Thai Go, did not respond to requests for comment, but Karzai said his restaurant already paid WPM last month for the permits and that he never received a warning from the transportation agency.

Dooby’s owner Phil Han said WPM is coordinating with Blanchard and the agency on getting the barriers back.

“We’ve received a lot of support from neighbors, community associations, and the councilman’s office,” Han said. “We hope to have the barriers returned by end of week, fingers crossed.”