The return of warm weather in Bloomington marks the return of one of the city’s newer summer traditions: the Expanded Outdoor Dining Program.

After City Council unanimously voted to resume the program this month, Kirkwood Avenue will close for two and a half blocks starting Monday, increasing foot traffic and providing a boost to the Kirkwood economy.

The program, which businesses have to pay to partake in, will run until Oct. 1, and was originally created in 2020 to help restaurants recover after the COVID-19 pandemic.

“What I’ve seen from people the last couple years we’ve had outdoor seating is that people enjoy it,” Gregg Rago, the owner of Nick’s English Hut, said. “All around, it’s good for everybody. It brings a very pleasant atmosphere to Kirkwood.”

Nick’s, like any business that participates in the program, pays a fee to the City of Bloomington which covers parking expenses for the spaces that are taken up, engineering review fees and participation fees, which increase based on expected occupancy.

Students like Maggie Mulligan enjoy the additional seating the Kirkwood closure provides. Mulligan, a senior at IU, said she appreciates knowing there will be a place for her and her friends to study when the weather turns nice.

“It’s a staple when the weather is warm and when Kirkwood is closed because everyone can walk where they want,” Mulligan said. “It makes it easier to get from place to place because crossing can be kind of scary because people go so fast down Kirkwood.”

While Bloomington residents, students and restaurant owners alike get to enjoy the outdoor arrangement, the plan has created new issues for others.

Rago said to reduce any additional strain on the kitchen, Nick’s doesn’t open certain areas inside the restaurant. He also said he invested thousands of dollars into a window that opens to allow workers to pass food outside.

“Logistically, it’s a little more difficult,” Rago said. “We’ve found ways to deal with that, but the benefits far outweigh whatever costs I have in it.”

Margaret Taylor, the owner of the Book Corner on Kirkwood Avenue and Walnut Street, needs a handicap spot. Kirkwood’s closure, just outside her store, limits those spaces — and since her business has a Walnut address, she doesn’t see any of the benefits.

“I don’t think it’s satisfactory to have it just at certain times for certain people,” Taylor said.

Kathy Loser, a store clerk at the Book Corner, said the city needs to explore better ways to improve equity among businesses downtown when Kirkwood is closed.

“The restaurants get to expand their square footage,” Loser said. “It would be nice if we could expand our square footage and have sales out there or something off of the sidewalk. I don’t think they’ve explored that and I don’t even think they’ve asked business owners down here.”

The closure also creates issues with things like book delivery and recycling, Loser said.

Rago said he doesn’t think the decrease in parking spaces will be the reason people avoid downtown. He said the number of spaces which are actually closed down is minimal, and residents will find other reasons not to come downtown.

“People that don’t want to come downtown aren’t going to come downtown,” Rago said. “They’ll feel threatened by the people, the atmosphere, the college.”

Once closed, Bloomington can expect an increase in pedestrian traffic along Kirkwood, the same as it has for, now, four straight summers.

“I think it’s very pleasant to have outdoor venues, especially when the weather is nice,” Rago said. “We make it a very pleasant atmosphere. We keep it clean and a lot of people walk through.”