A proposal calling for closing the Avenue to cars and eliminating parking to create a kind of piazza is rapidly gaining support via an online petition and among Greenwich leaders.
As Connecticut restaurants prepare to reopen under tight restrictions, Greenwich residents are looking to find ways to support their local establishments.
To do his part to help, Jon Loflin has started a petition drive to close down parts of Greenwich Avenue for outdoor dining. The petition has already received more than 1,830 signatures in just the first 4 days and the numbers are growing rapidly, with a few names being added every minute.
According to Loflin, the petition, available online through Change.org, has been “very well received.”
He says, “I am not a business owner – I just care about the small businesses and their employees in my Town – we owe it to them to provide the support and extra space to operate safely – and it’s unrealistic to expect them to wait until 2021. We have to support them this summer – and it is safe to do so.”
The proposal calls for closing the Avenue to cars and eliminating parking to create a kind of piazza, giving the reclaimed space to restaurants to safely distance tables set six feet apart in the street and expand outdoor dining.
The state will allow restaurants to offer outdoor dining only, with tables six feet apart under the new rules. Employees and customers must wear face masks except while dining.
The space would also be used for outdoor sidewalk shopping every day.
The idea, which has support from First Selectman Fred Camillo, is gaining support throughout town rapidly. Camillo has been working on this idea for some time now, gathering support and working out logistics and parking specifics.
The petition is available through this link: https://www.change.org/SummerStreetsGreenwich online.
For facts about safety and similar efforts in other cities, Loflin suggests this WIRED article: https://www.wired.com/story/cities-reopen-outdoor-dining-lifeline/
