EASTHAMPTON — Downtown is set to look different as the weather warms up, with Easthampton opening applications for businesses to expand their seating options or retail spaces into some of the city’s parking spots and other public spaces.
The mayoral order, issued on Friday, will allow businesses on Main, Cottage and Union streets to apply for this outdoor expansion.
This week, city officials and members of the business community welcomed the order as an opportunity to help businesses and residents comfortably support the local economy amid the COVID-19 pandemic.
The city allowed outdoor expansion last year from August to November, according to Zoe Ingram, principal clerk in the mayor’s office. But the policy was established late in the season, and only one business, The Silver Spoon restaurant on Main Street, ended up expanding into parking spaces.
Donna Geis, co-owner and manager of The Silver Spoon, credits last year’s expansion into three parking spots with sparing the restaurant from the worst of the pandemic’s impacts. Inspired by expanded outdoor dining offered in downtown Northampton last summer, Geis went to the city in August and requested a similar setup for The Silver Spoon. The results paid off, she said, noting that most patrons preferred to dine outdoors.
“We actually had a wait for our picnic tables more so than eating indoors,” Geis said. “Most people would wait however long it took to grab a picnic table and eat outside.”
The restaurant was able to use the financial boost from the added outdoor dining “to kind of forecast what was going to happen over the winter,” Geis said, “and we were able, through those savings, to consolidate our days and times throughout the winter and not get into any financial trouble.”
Geis applied for this year’s program and hopes to gain approval soon.
“I don’t think we’re out of the woods by any means, so I think, again, this will keep us up and running and flourishing during the summer months,” she said.
Greater Easthampton Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Moe Belliveau also praised the order.
“It gives everyone a slightly wider window of opportunity,” Belliveau said, “and for those who perhaps are not quite ready for indoor dining, it gives them an option and gives them an opportunity to enjoy socializing and supporting local establishments.”
Businesses must submit detailed plans, including a map or photograph of the proposed area; a review for ADA compliance; an exterior lighting plan; and timeline for how long the outdoor seating will stay in place. All plans will be reviewed by the mayor’s office, Planning Department, police, Department of Public Works and Health Department.
Northampton, which last year enacted a more dramatic downtown redesign that involved adding bike lanes and reducing Main Street to single-lane traffic to accommodate social distancing measures, received mixed reviews on this project from business owners, with some concerned that the expanded outdoor dining space was taking up too many parking spots. The city ultimately revoked the redesign, though some expanded outdoor dining options remained in place.
Belliveau said that while “parking is always on the top of people’s minds,” Easthampton offers other public lots and parking options, and she is optimistic that the expanded outdoor dining and adequate parking options can coexist.
“I think with some creativity, these things can be thought through,” she said.
Select Board chairwoman Peg Conniff shared a similar opinion, adding that side streets downtown also provide additional parking opportunities.
“I understand people may be concerned about that, but it’s not going to be a huge number of parking spaces,” she said. “It’s not going to be forever, and it’s in support of our businesses, so I think there’s a lot more pluses than minuses.”
Businesses can begin setting up their outdoor spaces immediately after receiving city approval and can leave these areas in place through the end of November at the latest.
Jacquelyn Voghel can be reached at jvoghel@gazettenet.com.