Daily Local News (West Chester, PA)
Gay Street may close again for outdoor dining
WEST CHESTER >> Borough diners might again be able to enjoy a steak and glass of wine under the stars this summer.
Borough Council has agreed to apply to PennDOT, pitch in $15,000 to pay for it and to again close Gay Street to vehicles for an open air market.
The 24-7, 7 day per week, street closure was wildly successful last year and attracted shoppers and diners who chose to enjoy the fresh air, while socially distancing, during the ongoing pandemic.
An application has been submitted to PennDOT, the Gay Street owner. The state agency,
like last year, will need to approve of the closure.
As it did in 2020, the borough is able to apply for a 120-day closure and has chosen to shut down the street to vehicles from May 1 to Aug. 31. If so desired by the borough, a second midsummer application might extend that time period.
Business Improvement District Executive Director John O’Brien said that ongoing PECO street work to renovate wiring and underground transformers might delay the start date of the open air market to early June. O’Brien does not expect the closure to last until Nov. 30, as it did last year.
The 2021 closure will likely stay in place – around the clock – partly due to the difficulty of removing concrete safety barriers placed at the end of each block. Cross streets will stay open for the three-street closure from Matlack to New streets.
Borough Manager Mike Perrone said, at this week’s council meeting, that most businesses favor the street shutdown.
“This is not 100 percent that everyone wants to see this happen, but it looks like the majority,” Perrone said.
O’Brien confirmed that statement and said that a BID survey showed that 79 percent of businesses support a street closure in some fashion. He also said that of 75 towns surveyed in Southeastern Pennsylvania and South Jersey, West Chester was declared one of the 10 least impacted towns.
“Compared to other places, we did better,” O’Brien said.
The borough has applied to swap control of the PennDOT owned Gay Street for the borough owned
The 2021 closure will likely stay in place – around the clock – partly due to the difficulty of removing concrete safety barriers placed at the end of each block. Cross streets will stay open for the three-street closure from Matlack to New streets.
Chestnut Street. This would eliminate the need to apply for an annual permit from PennDOT to create the openair market. A decision on the street transfer by PennDOT will likely not occur until fall.