In an imprudent rush to initiate his three year extended outdoor dining “plan” , Saratoga Springs Accounts Commissioner Dillon Moran has written to downtown business owners indicating he plans to erect barriers to build out “parklets” on city streets beginning April 1, a little over a week from today, March 23.
Efforts to convince him to establish proper notice for neighbors who will be impacted by the use of public right-of-ways for outdoor dining have been ignored as have calls for caution and the need to better define the program.
Samantha Bosshart, executive director of the Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation and the board president, Adam Favro, have sent a letter to the City Council urging that further attention be given to the appearance of outdoor dining spaces in the city now that they will no longer be temporary.
They point out that the new ordinance allows for “‘decorations’ yet does not define what that means…”. In addition, no requirements exist for barriers, furniture, planters, lighting, etc. They urge that guidelines be established not only for esthetics but for safety, and that since these outdoor spaces will now be allowed for up to three years, that they “should receive the same thorough review that businesses with sidewalk cafes go through by the Design Review Commission…” [Their entire letter appears below.]
The establishment of standards has apparently been dismissed by the Commissioner. It is not even clear what hours these outdoor dining operations must operate within and the promised schedule of permit fees has not been issued.
Instead, Commissioner Moran has established himself as a kind of street czar. Without standards, he will determine policies on a case-by-case basis. This is an invitation to cronyism and corruption.
The big unknown of course is whether the New York State Legislature will act to extend the legislation that permitted outdoor dining designed to address the needs of restaurants during Covid. That legislation is due to expire on July 7,2022. Without this extension that would allow liquor to be served in these venues, Moran’s plan for outdoor dining will be effectively dead.
Preservation Foundation Letter
