AMHERST — Amherst officials are beginning to accept requests from restaurant owners throughout town interested in providing outdoor dining service as part of the ongoing efforts to revive business in the midst of the pandemic.
Applications for using sidewalks, parking lots and other suitable space outdoors is one element of a three-pronged recovery plan the town’s inspection services department is ready to act on, said Town Manager Paul Bockelman.
“To expedite permitting, we have a team prepped to work with local restaurants who are interested in expanding outdoors,” Bockelman said.
The other aspects of the recovery plan are a zoning change that would authorize the Building Commissioner Rob Morra to administratively approve applications in lieu of applicants having to get required land-use permits in specific business districts, and encouraging the Board of License Commissioners to expedite approval of the expansion of premises for alcohol sales and service.
Bockelman said eight restaurants throughout town have expressed interest to officials in adding to their existing outdoor dining or beginning outdoor dining service.
The Town Council Monday voted 11-1 in favor of the new policy on public ways authorizing Bockelman to allow for the use of sidewalks and other public ways for restaurants and other retail purposes. District 5 Councilor Darcy DuMont voted against the measure and District 1 Councilor Sarah Swartz was absent.
As part of the arrangement, inspections services will work with each business to create or expand temporary outdoor dining areas, both adjacent to the restaurant, such as on sidewalks or in parking lots, or in other designated locations.
An expedited application process will be coordinated by inspection services so that building, health and fire code review are completed.
Application forms are available on the town’s website at amherstma.gov/inspections. They will require a sketch of the proposed location which can be either drawn by hand or created using the town’s GIS mapping system.
Any additional approvals, such as proposals for alcohol service, will be referred to the Board of License Commissioners.
Meantime, the temporary zoning bylaw, which would last for 180 days, will be the subject of a joint hearing between the Planning Board and Community Resources Committee on June 10, with a vote by the Town Council as soon as its June 15 meeting.
Scott Merzbach can be reached at smerzbach@gazettenet.com.
