West Hartford Outdoor Dining Boost Targeted For Later In Spring

WEST HARTFORD — With town officials eyeing the return of extended outdoor dining later this spring, one state legislator is all for the concept for another year.

West Hartford Town Manager Matt Hart said this week that the target is late April into early May, once some below-ground infrastructure is completed.

Meanwhile state Sen. Derek Slap (D-West Hartford) joined a unanimous vote on a bill that will extend the option of outdoor dining at local restaurants for another year, or through March 31, 2022.

He called it "a boon to towns like West Hartford and all their outdoor dining facilities."

The legislation establishes a process by which local zoning officials can allow expanded outdoor dining at restaurants. It also specifies that any outdoor dining activity previously authorized by executive order will be approved though March 31, 2022.

"This bill really green-lights what a lot of cities and towns take to be a common-sense measure. They've had a pretty good experience over the past year with outdoor shopping and dining, and they see no reason why it shouldn’t continue," Slap said. "Every town leader and business owner and customer I've spoken to likes expanded outdoor dining, so today's vote was a good one for everyone."

West Hartford Mayor Shari Cantor said West Hartford is already well-positioned to take advantage of the relaxed outdoor dining regulations.

"The expanded outdoor dining and retail infrastructure improvements allowed businesses, mostly restaurants, the opportunity to continue operations during the Covid-19 health pandemic," Cantor said. "We had businesses throughout town that added significant capacity by expanding their outdoor spaces for serving their customers. We have been so inspired by the creativity and perseverance of our businesses all over town."

The bill, which was amended last week in the House, gives local zoning or planning officials the power to expand or permit outdoor activities for restaurants to help them recover from the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. Under the bill, any permit for outdoor eating wouldn't require significant paperwork such as site surveys or traffic studies. Municipalities wishing to permanently expand the availability of outdoor dining and retail activity also would be allowed to expedite permanent changes to their own zoning rules.