West Chester To Close Gay Street To Expand Outdoor Dining

WEST CHESTER, PA — Gay Street will be closed to vehicular traffic indefinitely as a section of downtown West Chester is turned into a "24/7 Open Air Marketplace" to promote social distancing as businesses reopen, officials said.

The decision was agreed upon at Tuesday night's borough council meeting and has the backing of Mayor Dianne Herrin. The ruling allows all businesses to reopen on the street, not just restaurants.

"It was very important to us to represent all businesses to the best of our ability," Mayor Herrin said. "This will allow physical distancing while enabling our store and restaurant owners to get back to business."

The closure will be in place from Matlack Street to Darlington Street. Officials have not yet announced when it will be formally put into place, but details regarding that are forthcoming.

The plan was devised by the "Main Street Strong Task Force" comprised of Herrin, the police department, borough council members, and municipal representatives from Parks and Recreation and Public Works.

The measure is a significant step beyond what other local municipalities with bustling downtown districts have decided to do. Phoenixville also agreed to shutdown their main drag, but that closure is in place only from Thursday afternoons through early Mondays. Other nearby towns like Ambler and Radnor areconsidering similar measures.

The closure does not merely apply to businesses on Gay Street, Herrin said. Accomodations have been made for businesses on other streets so that they can also set up shop outdoors on Gay Street.