Common Council will be holding a special meeting by video conference this coming Monday, March 8 at 5PM to approve 14 measures to allow for expanded outdoor dining to assist Summit restaurants for a second outdoor dining season. Among the resolutions are measures to approve expansion of sidewalk cafes with liquor licenses, creation of outdoor dining and the expansion of the liquor licenses into a portion of Maple Street that will be closed for a second year, and the creation of parklets.
Members of the public will be able to comment by video or audio conference. Comments will also be accepted by email or by mail to cityclerk@cityofsummit.org. Comments must be received by noon on March 8. Those that submit written comments will have them read by the clerk or summarized if substantially like other comments and will not be permitted to speak on that same subject at the meeting. The rules for public comments are posted on the City website. Access codes for the Zoom platform and instructions for public comment are posted on the city website.
Every Common Council meeting is broadcast live on HTTV Verizon channel 30 and Comcast channel 36 and 34. The meeting will also be broadcast live on the City of Summit YouTube Channel.
In the interest of assisting our Summit restaurants, council will consider a resolution to waive outdoor dining fees for restaurants that do not have a liquor license. However, pursuant to city ordinance, restaurants with a liquor license must enter into a license agreement to use city property for outdoor dining and must pay a license fee for each sidewalk café, outdoor street dining area, or parklet dining area.
First, council will consider six parklet applications. A parklet is a dining area created from one or more parking spaces for the seasonal use of a restaurant. The applications being considered by council are: The Office Tavern Grill at 61 Union Place, Piattino at 67 Union Place, Pizza Vita at 7 Union Place, Serra Restaurant at 10-12 Bank Street, Due 360 at Union Place, and Ani Ramen, 427 Springfield Avenue.
Council will also vote on five applications for sidewalk cafes with liquor licenses: Roots Steakhouse, Fiorino Restaurant, Winberies, The Office Tavern Grill, and Piattino. These applications require execution of lease agreements for the expansion of liquor licenses.
Finally, council will consider four applications for the use of Maple Street by Fiorino Ristorante, Summit House Restaurant and Bar Bacoa, Fin Raw Bar and Kitchen, and Roots Steakhouse. Three of these applications include lease agreements for the expansion of liquor licenses. A fourth restaurant, Fin Raw Bar and Kitchen, does not have a liquor license. At the February 2 meeting, council approved the partial closure of Maple Street from Springfield Avenue north to the alleyway and from Springfield Avenue south to the alleyway for the use of these four restaurants. The street closure requires approval of the New Jersey Department of Transportation (NJDOT) and will be in effect until November 30 or until the City or NJDOT decide to reopen the street. During the Maple Street closures, the restaurants using Maple Street for dining will not operate sidewalk cafes on Maple Street.
Details and locations for all these outdoor dining locations are included in the March 8 special meeting agenda packet. Council recognizes that the health emergency has posed a tremendous challenge for restaurants and other businesses, and that these outdoor dining locations require a careful weighing of competing interests of restaurants, other businesses, and members of the public. It is for that reason that Council crafted the approval process for the parklet program to include the opportunity for public comment to allow council to fully consider these applications before voting.
I hope to see you as we all begin to enjoy outdoor dining in Summit in the coming days and weeks.
To view the complete Common Council special meeting agenda, go to https://www.cityofsummit.org/AgendaCenter/ViewFile/Item/517?fileID=26758
Next Common Council Meeting: Tuesday, March 16, 2020 at 7:30 PM.
Printable Agenda Preview: https://www.cityofsummit.org/DocumentCenter/View/5441/Fox-Council-President-Special-Mtg-Preview-030821