BURLINGTON, N.C. – Carriann Stafford of Downtown Yoga & Barre has been teaching her classes online for the last few months. While she anticipates staying mostly online for a while, now she has the chance to teach some in-person classes.

What You Need To Know


  • Fitness studios can apply to use city-owned green spaces

  • Restaurants can apply to use public sidewalks and parking lots

  • The goal is to help small businesses serve more people and increase revenue
The City of Burlington is allowing businesses to apply for permits to use city-owned property to expand their operations.

"I think it’s a great steppingstone as we all move towards coming out of our houses and beginning to be around other people. I feel a lot more comfortable outside than I do inside," Stafford says.

Fitness studios can apply to hold classes on city-owned green spaces, as long as they aren't dedicated athletic fields.

Restaurants can apply to use public sidewalks and parking lots. If they aren't downtown, they can submit plans to use privately owned parking lots.

Peter Bishop with the City of Burlington says the city has been discussing this for weeks, because the officials want to do what they can for the people who do so much for Burlington.

"These are small businesses that they don’t always have, you know, a legal department, or an accounting department, or a marketing department. So these are one man or woman shows that are really doing amazing things for our city, so we want to provide them all the support possible," Bishop says.