Controversial Maple Street Closure To Be Discussed At Summit Meeting

SUMMIT, NJ — A proposal to permanently close Maple Street in Summit will be presented at Tuesday's Common Council meeting.

A consultant hired by Summit Downtown Inc. (SDI), Leo Vasquez of Creative Placemaking Communities, will conduct a presentation on Maple Street's usage at the Tuesday meeting. Council President Marjorie Fox previously said the consultant will talk about a range of options for Maple Street — not just a permanent closure.

Many residents and council members have spoken out against this permanent closure at past meetings, arguing that it will cause more traffic in the downtown.

The Council voted in May to close the street for outdoor dining until Nov. 30 of this year, but SDI has a proposal to keep it closed year round.

Many residents argued that it is unnecessary to close the street in the winter months, as it will be too cold for outdoor dining. However, many restaurants were able stay open during the pandemic by providing outdoor heaters for customers.

Other residents also suggested that blocking off Maple Street poses a risk for first responders, such as police firefighters and the EMS squad, who need to traverse through town when responding to emergencies.

President Fox herself said she is not in favor of a permanent closure, as did many other council members.

Read more: Residents Object To Permanent Maple Street Closure At Summit Meeting

There will be an opportunity for council and the community to ask questions
following the presentation. No official action concerning Maple Street will be taken at the meeting on Tuesday, according to the agenda.

In addition to the Maple Street closure discussion, there will be a brief update from the American Legion, Lindsey Street Post and Summit Elks Club on the war memorial renovation in town.

The council will also consider adding 17 employee parking spaces on the north side of Broad Street from Walnut Street to Park Avenue, as well as changing the 90-minute time limit to a 30-minute time limit on meters on the north side of Union Place.

A third amendment the council will consider is changing the time limit from 90 minutes to 15-minute Express at various locations throughout the downtown. These changes to the time limits are intended to provide for more turnover of parking spaces and prevent dangerous parking practices, such as double parking and parking in crosswalks, in the downtown, according to the agenda

Lastly, the Community Programs and Parking Services Committee will introduce an ordinance to establish a seasonal parklet program only in areas of the downtown where it is not possible to safely or practicably accommodate a sidewalk café.

This is a change from the past years where restaurants were able to have both a parklet and a sidewalk café. A parklet is different than a sidewalk café in that it expands onto the actual street.

The hearing on this ordinance will be held on Dec. 20. The Community Programs and Parking Services Committee will also introduce a resolution to renew the Uber and Lyft ridesharing program, the agenda states.

The council meeting will be streamed live on the City of Summit YouTube channel and will be held in-person at 7:30 p.m. in Council Chamber at City Hall.

To view the complete Common Council agenda, go to the city's website.

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