Outdoor Dining Becomes Permanent In Moorestown

MOORESTOWN, NJ — Outdoor dining will soon be a permanent part of life in Moorestown. Moorestown Council unanimously approved a proposed ordinance that amends the township code to create a more permanent process that would allow restaurants to establish outdoor dining within certain parameters and conditions when it met Monday night.

“I’m very happy with the way this has moved through,” Councilman Quinton Law said. “This is another example of this council and the township trying to make sure businesses can operate to the best of their ability. “We saw over the pandemic that outdoor dining was so essential, and to see this being finished is very awesome.”

Council initially introduced the proposal at its Oct. 25 meeting. Read more here: Moorestown Takes Step Toward Permanent Outdoor Dining

The proposal was then referred to the planning board, which made small changes to clarify the intent behind the legislation. The text of the proposal with the changes is posted on the township’s website.

It was introduced after Moorestown Council passed temporary legislation last summer to allow outdoor dining at the height of the coronavirus pandemic. Read more here: Moorestown Gives Final Approval To Outdoor Dining Plan

In December, it extended that legislation. Read more here: Outdoor Dining In Moorestown Extended Amid Coronavirus Pandemic

That legislation will soon expire, and the township wanted to do something to help the restaurant industry, which has been hit particularly hard by the pandemic.

Outdoor dining may be something residents continue to consider amid a spike in cases and hospitalizations, as well as the emergence of a new variant officials believe will likely soon arrive in the United States. Read more here: COVID Omicron Variant Prompts NJ Travel, Masking Changes

As of Monday, there were 122 new cases of the coronavirus reported in Moorestown for the month of November, Mayor Nicole Gillespie said. She called it a slight uptick for the township, returning Moorestown to the number of cases it was seeing in March and April of this year.

“The number of people getting seriously ill is not as many as it used to be,” Gillespie said. “However, it is spreading, so I encourage everybody to still take precautions. We’re not done yet, so everybody, please be careful. We want everyone to have a happy holiday season, and if you’re getting sick and your loved ones are getting sick, that’s going to effect it tremendously.”

See related: Burlington County COVID-19 Vaccination Megasite Reopens This Week