Sidewalk dining is among the pandemic’s few silver linings. Morristown restaurants and bars took advantage of relaxed restrictions, a lifeline that customers loved. And so outdoor dining continues, well beyond the lockdowns, even in the dead of winter.
But the price of sidewalk dining, like everything else, is going up.
On Tuesday, the Morristown council introduced a measure to hike fees for these establishments from $250 up to $1,000, based on their number of seats and alcohol status.
The move came during a swift 30-minute hybrid session that included an update on the privatization of Morristown’s public housing, and the unanimous introduction of a $1 million ordinance to relocate a taxiway at Morristown Airport. That money will come from the state Department of Transportation and the airport’s management company.
HOW TO SPEND $30 MILLION?
Councilman Robert Iannaccone, newly appointed as council liaison to the Morristown Housing Authority (MHA), reported that the authority’s $30 million sale of the Manahan Village housing complex was completed last month. He said the money is supposed to be paid over time.
It’s part of a complicated deal launched last year that includes the sale of seniors housing on Ann and Early streets. The process was pitched as a means to fund costly, overdue renovations.
The work at Ann Street has spurred complaints from seniors about inoperable elevators, insufficient laundry machines, and poor communications regarding seniors’ temporary relocation to a hotel.
Twenty-one Ann Street residents are living off-site temporarily right now; exterior renovations are underway at 31 Early St.
According to Iannaccone, MHA Executive Director Keith Kinard told his commissioners on Monday that complaints are few and he promptly forwards them to the new management company. Kinard reportedly stated the company will initiate regular meetings next month with Ann Street residents to discuss their concerns.
Meetings also are planned in Manahan Village, where renovations are anticipated in late spring or early summer, to go over new vouchers and leases, according to Iannaccone’s account of Monday’s hybrid MHA meeting.
The councilman said he intends further talks with Kinard to determine how the $30 million Manahan Village proceeds will be spent. The MHA presently has a balance of $15 million, Iannaccone said, citing Kinard.
Iannaccone also seeks more details about the new management company’s proposed hiring of a cop. And he is curious about the post-privatization roles of the MHA and a private, nonprofit spinoff, the Morristown Community Development Corp. (MCDC).
Seeded with $250,000 from the MHA last year, the MCDC is exploring ways to create affordable housing, Iannaccone related from Monday’s MHA meeting.
That includes the possible purchase of an 18-unit building under construction on George Street for conversion to Section 8 affordable units, Kinard told his board, according to Iannaccone. (Only one resident attended the session; the livestream was inaudible for home viewers.)
Additionally, the MCDC is reaching out to developers and redevelopers intent on satisfying their local affordable housing obligations, while pursuing eligibility for Morris County community development block grants and state Aspire funds for acquiring or rehabilitating properties, Kinard said, per Iannaccone’s report to the council.
‘I FEEL FOR THE LITTLE GUYS’
Morristown restaurants and bars have been paying $250 for sidewalk cafe licenses. For some, that could rise to a maximum of $1,000 annually if the council adopts the amendment next month.
“Sidewalk cafes do require quite a bit of administrative time — the review process, it goes through various departments for approvals. There tends to be a lot of inspections and follow-up,” said town Clerk Margot Kaye, who patterned the increases after a Summit ordinance.
For places without a liquor license, yearly fees will look like this: One to 10 seats: $250. Eleven to 25 seats: $375. Twenty-six to 50 seats: $500. More than 50 seats: $625.
For establishments with liquor licenses: One to 10 seats: $250. Eleven to 25 seats: $500. Twenty-six to 50 seats: $750. Over 50 seats: $1,000.
“My thinking was that you have an ice cream store that has four seats out front and then you have a big booming restaurant with a liquor license, paying the same $250. And I just kind of feel for the little guys. And since a lot of work does go into it, particularly for the bigger restaurants with liquor licenses, I felt it was a good change,” Kaye said.
The council introduced the ordinance by a 6-0 vote. Councilman David Silva was absent.
In other business, Mayor Tim Dougherty gave a February Black History Month proclamation to the Rev. Lance Mann. The minister became pastor of Union Baptist Church last year.
CORRECTION: An earlier version of this story erroneously reported Councilwoman Toshiba Foster’s absence; she was present.
Life is expensive and I dont blame Morristown for the increase. The minimum spend at 1776 for their “Champagne Chalets” is $250 for the smaller version and $500 for the larger. There is no direct rental “fee”, but it would seem that while Morristown’s permit/fee has gone up 4x…I wouldn’t worry about this “sidewalk cafe” going broke, nor the others. If it keeps taxes down, charge them $2k; those businesses are using pre-tax money anyway.
Why not just lower the fee for the little guys?
Council: Hey look, a new “revenue” source, let’s exploit it to the fullest extent possible by increasing the fees 4-fold. But we’ll need to justify it with some made up bureaucracy that there is huge new burden on the town for a business to put a table on the sidewalk or a park bench out front. Like sidewalk dining is an entirely new concept and people haven’t been eating ice cream cones on the bench outside of the Creamery for 20 years.