June 19,2018
the staff of the Ridgewood blog
Ridgewood NJ, this comes up almost every year. The Village has even gone as far as to press charges on a plastic sheep .
The rules seem to be unevenly applied in the past .
Reader says “The restaurants Ad Hoc sidewalk patio table walls are growing in number
look at chestnut corner burgher restaurant..they are made of steel..try getting up on to the sidewalk from a parked car ..good luck….then add in the flower pot plantings further narrowing the walks ..these are even worse for elders and handicapped pedestrians exiting a car or assist a ride buses even during off hours..are these permitted by town?”
Boyd Loving , “The Village’s Code Enforcement Official has been observed in the past with a tape measure in hand checking to ensure restaurants were not encroaching on the ADA required passage widths of sidewalks. I know of at least one (1) restaurant that was issued a summons for an alleged encroachment. If you have a specific complaint, you could refer it to the Code Enforcement Official. See link to her name, e-mail address, and phone number below.”
City of Hoboken Sidewalk Cafe Ordinance (in part)
A. No person may operate a sidewalk cafe without obtaining a license from the Zoning Officer of the City of Hoboken pursuant to the procedures set forth in § 168-52.
B.
Sidewalk cafes are permitted only in association with an open, operating restaurant, as defined herein.
C.
No sidewalk cafe shall be permitted to project into a sidewalk more than half the width of said sidewalk or eight feet, whichever is less, but in no case shall it extend so far as to leave less than six feet for pedestrian traffic, except in areas where the sidewalk is 20 feet or more wide from the building line to the curb, then a sidewalk cafe may be permitted to project into a sidewalk a maximum of 10 feet.
And
A.
All establishments licensed to operate a sidewalk cafe shall display the license in an unobstructed location.
B.
No permanent form of space delineation or construction for the sidewalk cafe will be permitted within the public right-of-way unless expressly approved by the governing body.
C.
The sidewalk cafe area shall be partitioned on three sides, by a movable structure separating the sidewalk cafe from the public portion of the sidewalk, and which is no less than 30 inches in height and no more than 36 inches in height, providing one opening for entrance and exit which is no less than 42 inches in width and no more than 60 inches in width, and whose boundaries allow patrons and pedestrians to clearly ascertain the entrance and exit to the sidewalk cafe area.
D.
Sidewalk cafes with four seats or less shall be exempt from the partition requirements, provided the projection into the sidewalk is less than three feet.
E.
At no time shall the sidewalk cafe partition, tables, chairs, and other cafe furniture block any residential entrance.
F.
The sidewalk cafe shall have an overhead covering, consisting of either individual umbrellas or a retractable awning covering all tables and chairs. A covering must have a minimum clearance of seven feet from the sidewalk to the bottom of the awning/umbrella.
G.
The sidewalk cafe partition and overhead covering shall be appropriate in style to the facade of the building and shall not contain advertising.
Or you could get off your high horse, get a nice bottle of wine and sit outside and enjoy a summer evening. Maybe go with some friends or enjoy the people watching. It is a lovely way to spend an evening especially for those of us stuck in an office all week.
Why stop at restaurants? If a pet store moves into town, let them display pets on the sidewalk. If a hardware store moves to town, let them display lawnmowers and rototillers on the sidewalk. Or buy a bottle of wine, drink it and talk about your week in the office.
Why waste time arguing? Clearly, Vaginas has something on the town. Otherwise, that wall would have been issued a summons and torn down. Maybe hes got some evidence of theft or worse yet nude photos. Gotta be careful.
Love siting outside downtown but won’t do so at any of the restaurants that are too aggressive. The Vag’s restaurant is an example. Haven’t been there since he built the obnoxious wall. But, I guess enough people don’t care about the Vah’s transgression, so he stays in business.
Can we get any kind of handicap organization to check it out and draw up a plan that will let wheelchairs, walkers, canes, strollers, etc. go by in safety. Many of these businesses are flagrantly challenging the “handicapped accessible rules” and should be fined big bucks if they continue this total lack of obeying the rules. Park in a handicapped space and get a fine. Block handicapped people from accessing any areas that they may wish to visit and that should also be a fine or penalty.