Outdoor dining ordinance approved

Posted by Rich Schwartzman on June 6, 2020

Chadds Ford Township supervisors Saturday morning voted to approve a special outdoor dining ordinance. Ordinance 163 would allow for restaurants that do not have previous approval for outdoor dining to apply for a special permit.

Supervisors proposed the ordinance to help bring back some business activity now that Delaware County — along with the other counties in the five-county region — moved into the yellow phase of the governors’ shutdown plan because of the pandemic. Supervisors’ Chairman Frank Murphy said the ordinance “strikes a balance” between keeping people safe and getting restaurants up and running, even though other restrictions remain.

Under the yellow phase, restaurants are still not allowed to have indoor dining. Under the temporary ordinance, restaurants may apply for a special permit enabling outdoor seating and service in parking lots or other parts of their property, space permitting.

“Such permit shall, upon approval of the Township, enable restaurants to serve patrons in areas that such service would not be otherwise permissible. This may include areas otherwise unusable due to bulk, area, and parking requirements,” the ordinance reads.

The permit would be valid for 120 days from the date issued or through Nov. 7, whichever comes first. The eateries must satisfy a list of conditions for approval. Conditions include providing a plan showing safe ingress and egress — including to and from restrooms. If a parking lot is used for seating, the restaurant must show the rest of the parking area is sufficient to accommodate the number of patrons while still providing social distancing, along with access and safe traffic flow for emergency vehicles.

Township Manager Maryann Furlong said six restaurateurs have applied for the permit and that there has been “good communication” between them and the township.

A draft of Ordinance 163, along with application forms and instructions are on the township website.

About Rich Schwartzman

Rich Schwartzman has been reporting on events in the greater Chadds Ford area since September 2001 when he became the founding editor of The Chadds Ford Post. In April 2009 he became managing editor of ChaddsFordLive. He is also an award-winning photographer.