Town Of Westport: Text Amendment #814 To Be Discussed At Upcoming P&Z Public Hearing

Westport CT

08 March, 2022

1:49 PM

Description

Press release from the Town of Westport: 03/08/2022 1:00 PM        Planning and Zoning Director Mary Young has announced that on March 14, 2022, at 7:00 PM, a public hearing of the Planning and Zoning Commission will be held to consider permanent Outdoor Eating Area regulations for activities located on private property. Text Amendment #814, authored on behalf of the Planning and Zoning Commission, available on-line here, proposes to modify the Outdoor Storage and Display regulations and modify the Outdoor Eating Area and related Zoning Regulations in response to Public Act 21-2, Sec. 182, effective April 1, 2022. The new Outdoor Eating Area requirements for Food Establishments adopted by the State legislators require implementation through adoption of local zoning regulations by the Westport Planning and Zoning Commission for activities occurring on private property.  The Westport Board of Selectwomen will soon be addressing these same issues by amending their Pop-Up Café Policy for activities occurring on Town-owned property.          Under the new state legislation, the Planning and Zoning Commission retains discretion to determine how large an Outdoor Eating Area will be permitted, for what duration of time, and with what protections to maintain public safety. Health Code requirements related to available kitchen equipment and staffing will also control what level of occupancy can be supported.  The State legislation mandates Outdoor Eating Areas may be located along sidewalks provided ADA requirements are met, within parking lots, and on abutting properties adjacent to where a Food Establishment is located and be exempt from minimum parking requirements. Mary Young described, "Current Outdoor Activity approvals will soon expire, requiring new approvals to be secured based upon the new Zoning Regulations when adopted.  The Planning and Zoning Commission looks forward to hearing from Food Establishment owners to help set reasonable standards allowing the Restaurant Renaissance in Westport to continue and provide safe and secure dining options for patrons under the 'New-Normal' conditions." The March 14, 2022, public hearing will be held virtually via Zoom, will be live streamed on the Town's website at www.westportct.gov, and accessible on Optimum Government Access Channel 79 and Frontier Channel 6020.  Comments can be sent prior to the meeting at [email protected] and interested parties may join the meeting virtually or call in to offer testimony during the meeting. To access the meeting links, view the meeting agenda online here. This press release was produced by the Town of Westport. The views expressed here are the author's own.