Newark Ordinance Creates ‘Clear Zone’ Around Business Entrances

NEWARK, NJ — Newark residents and visitors will have to keep a “clear zone” around the entrances to local businesses under a new city ordinance.

According to South Ward Councilman Patrick Council, the ordinance establishes a 10 to 20-foot area that must remain clear around the entrances to all businesses, shops, stores and other commercial establishments, so that residents can “comfortably patronize neighborhood establishments in a safe and unobstructed manner.”

The Newark City Council voted on the new law on April 5.

Council and Newark Mayor Ras Baraka plan to hold a press conference to educate the public about the newly adopted ordinance. It was originally scheduled for 11 a.m. on May 8, but has been rescheduled to 10:30 a.m. on May 9 at Seymour Avenue and Clinton Avenue in the South Ward of Newark. Representatives from the Newark Public Safety Department, Department of Engineering and the Department of Public Works will also be in attendance.

Council noted that the city is also promoting and reinforcing the Nonresidential Property Maintenance Code that prohibits stores from having their windows covered with “unsightly materials.”

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