Outdoor Dining Extended In Princeton, Council Addresses Public Space Issue

PRINCETON, NJ — Council on Monday passed an ordinance extending outdoor dining in the Municipality until November 2024.

The ordinance is consistent with the law Gov. Phil Murphy signed in August extending outdoor dining across the state.

Council members said they will be working out details of outdoor dining including the type of furniture used, trash removal system and regulation on the number of tables.

There were some concerns however about restaurants encroaching more on public space for outdoor dining.

Councilwoman Mia Sacks brought up a question raised months ago by a resident. She asked if the new ordinance addresses the ongoing complaints about dining tables taking up public space on Hinds Plaza.

Municipal attorney Trishka Cecil said the matter was being addressed separately and that the plaza is not considered a sidewalk so the ordinance will not apply to it. She said the issue is a subject of “ongoing conversations with the owner.”

“I'm all for outdoor dining and for extending, but we have one situation on Hinds Plaza, where we seem to be unable to successfully gain compliance from that restaurateur,” Sacks said.

“It erodes the credibility of our initiative because if we're not able to get one restaurant to abide by the law in terms of the amount of space that they're allotted, how will we successfully regulate all the other additional outdoor dining.”

Mayor Mark Freda raised another concern about the walking path. According to the ordinance, a walking path no less than five feet wide should be maintained on the public sidewalk at all times so as to not obstruct pedestrian traffic.

Freda said that five feet was not enough and noted that some restaurants “narrowed the sidewalk quite a bit” with their tables.

“And it's very hard, especially on weekends when the sidewalks are crowded,” Freda said. " I think to make the walking path so narrow, that it's hard for two people abreast to walk through between the tables, is problematic.”

Cecil clarified that five feet could be the minimum, but enforcement officers can require more.

“Going forward, I think we need to be a little more realistic about specific spots that are jamming up pedestrian traffic, which is actually a deterrent to all the businesses in the area,” Freda said.

Councilwoman Michelle Pirone Lambros noted that the ordinance contains language which allows the Municipality to come up with a plan to control litter and ensure proper disposal of garbage from outdoor dining.

“There's a lot of details to work out here. And so there needs to be follow-up. I'm committed with staff to work together to formulate those granular details,” Pirone Lambros said.

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