New Canaan’s local traffic authority has approved this season of expanded outdoor dining in three areas along the north side of Elm Street.
Temporary outdoor dining barriers outside of Patisserie Salzburg and Rosie on Elm Street, on May 1, 2023. Credit: Michael Dinan
The Police Commission at its most recent meeting voted unanimously to allow the expanded outdoor dining—an offshoot of the COVID-19 pandemic where tables and chairs are placed in would-be parking spaces on the street and enclosed by temporary barricades—in front of Patisserie Salzburg/Rosie, Solé and Chef Luis.
The white plastic barriers from past outdoor dining seasons will be re-used until, with approval from other town bodies, they’re replaced in six to eight weeks with rectangular 32-by-32-by-64-inch concrete planters, according to Public Works Director Tiger Mann.
The 2,400-pound planters are “somewhat similar to the size of a temporary precast concrete barrier, only those are eight feet long whereas these are just over five feet long,” Mann told members of the Police Commission at their April 19 meeting, held at police headquarters and via videoconference.
“We feel we can place these along the area instead of the white barricades and they will provide more safety for outdoor diners and the fact that it can be planted is kind of nice, and it’s really a different look than the white barricades,” Mann said. “There’s a little bit of a lead time on those so we would have start with the white barricades and when these came in, in about six to eight weeks, pending approval, we would put them out at that point in time. And then the best part is we can remove them and then re-use them elsewhere in town and subsequent years.”
Temporary outdoor dining barriers outside of Chef Luis on Elm Street, on May 1, 2023. Credit: Michael Dinan
The barriers would remain in place until the week prior to Thanksgiving, he said.
Commission Chair Jim McLaughlin, Secretary Shekaiba Bennett and member Paul Foley voted in favor of allowing the outdoor dining.
Laura Budd, executive director of the New Canaan Chamber of Commerce, said the organization supports the temporary barriers.
“We think this is important,” Budd said. “We like it. It brings a great vibrancy to downtown and having them up through the summer and early fall and, as Tiger said, if the parking could be returned back before thanksgiving that would be ideal. But we think this is a big plus for the downtown.”
In addition to those temporary outdoor dining areas, Mann said, the town is seeking this summer to continue its work on permanently widening the sidewalk in other areas of Elm Street via “bumpouts,” such as the one that extends in front of Elm restaurant, Mann said.
Temporary outdoor dining barriers outside of Patisserie Salzburg and Rosie on Elm Street, on May 1, 2023. Credit: Michael Dinan
Projects expected to commence in the coming weeks include a bumpout in front of the Playhouse, in front of the Bank of America building on the opposite side of Elm Street, and on the northeast and southeast corners of Elm Street where South Avenue comes in, Mann said.
“And then that will actually add back in five parking spaces from what we’ve lost,” he said. “So that will actually go back to a net of zero at that point, which is a plus.”
Because “bumping out” will shorten the distance it takes to get across Elm Street in front of the new Dunkin’ Donuts, the town will no longer be subject to a 25-foot “no parking zone” rule at that intersection, officials have said. Five years ago, the town lost more than one dozen parking spaces due to enforcement of the state law.
Mann said that tests had been done to ensure that motor vehicles—including large fire vehicles—could comfortably turn left from Elm Street onto South Avenue even with the bumpouts. Even so, members of the Commission asked Mann to set up cones and demonstrate the turning ability to them before the new bumpouts go in.
Mann also said that the town is thinking about creating permanent “bumpouts” in the areas carved out for outdoor dining with temporary barricades this season, “but we would need to receive direction from the Commission and from P&Z and from others to proceed with that.”
The Board of Selectmen during its regular meeting Tuesday is scheduled to vote on an approximately $21,000 contract to purchase the new concrete planters. They cost about $2,000 apiece, Mann said.