Waltham's Moody Street Transforms Into Outdoor Dining Destination

WALTHAM, MA —Moody Street transformed into a haven for pedestrians and shoppers Saturday as the city closed most of the street to cars to allow outdoor dining for the next six months.

The move attracted people from near and far.

"We ... had a group from Gloucester come down just because of the outside dining on Moody," said Tim Burke, who owns In A Pickle restaurant. "It was exactly the reason why we pushed to have this happen again."

During the height of the pandemic, Waltham was one of the first cities in the state to completely close a roadway to allow restaurants more space for outdoor dining. Communities across the commonwealth held it up as an example of a successful way to help struggling businesses across the commonwealth.

But there was some pushback from non restaurant owners in the city, worried the closure could harm their business.

Related: To Close Moody Street Or Not: That Is The Question In Waltham

In an effort to hear out those concerns, this year leading up to transforming the street into a pedestrian destination, the city held more meetings with area businesses and took into consideration lessons from last year. In the end, this year the city put up more signs in an effort to help drivers understand their parking options and detours. And the city gave businesses a longer-lead time to figure out how to handle deliveries.

"It's just fantastic. It now gives Moody Streets this flavor of a destination," said Lisa Lorgeree, president of the Downtown Waltham Partnership. "It is helping the restaurants get extra dining space, which is critical as restaurants decimated because of covid, are trying to make a comeback."

Between the street being open to pedestrians and the governor's relaxed orders and retiring of the outdoor mask mandate and more people getting vaccinated, Lorgeree is hopeful that this will help people begin to frequent the city's restaurants and shops again.

The first day was sunny, if a bit chilly, but restaurant owners are hopeful.

"It was a little cool out, so we're really looking forward to tomorrow and some warmer weather, but our patio space was full for most of the day up until close," said Burke.

"I just walked outside and looked up the street and saw everyone walking around and enjoying themselves and thought to myself, 'How could anyone be against this?'" Burke said. "I had about three groups of customers say that they hope this is a permanent thing."

Moody Street between the High Street, Maple Street intersection and the Pine Street, Crescent Street intersection will be closed to vehicle and bike traffic and businesses will be open for outdoor dining using the parking spaces in front of the restaurant through Oct. 31, except for the block between Chestnut Street and Walnut Street.

"I couldn't be more happy," Lorgeree said. "I call Moody Street our little slice of heaven."

Jenna Fisher is a news reporter for Patch. Got a tip? She can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Have a something you'd like posted on the Patch? Here's how.