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Board of Selectmen approve 2025 outdoor dining guidelines, set fee at $47 per linear foot
Summary
The Board of Selectmen approved revised 2025 outdoor dining guidelines that set an installation cost benchmark of $47 per linear foot; town staff and selectmen said they will monitor enforcement costs and impacts on curbside parking.
The Board of Selectmen approved the Town of Greenwich’s 2025 outdoor dining guidelines on March 10, 2025, including a cost estimate of $47 per linear foot for installation of street barriers for outdoor dining.
The vote followed a presentation from Kate Bush, the town administrator and chief operating officer, who said the $47-per-linear-foot figure would translate to an average installation cost of about $6,531 per restaurant if the town required full-cost barrier installation this year. "We did get a couple of comments," Bush said, summarizing public feedback on cost and sidewalk space. "One of them was supportive of reviewing the costs, making sure the town was recouping all the costs. The other was more concerned about the sidewalk space."
The guidelines were moved by Selectwoman Lauren Rabinovich and seconded by Selectwoman Janet Stone McWhiggin. The roll-call vote recorded Selectman Fred Camillo, Selectwoman Lauren Rabinovich and Selectwoman Janet Stone McWhiggin as voting yes; the measure passed.
Nut graf: Selectmen said the change aims to better align fees with direct costs while keeping outdoor dining viable. Members repeatedly urged further data collection on enforcement and departmental costs before future seasons.
In discussion, selectmen said enforcement workload—calls to police, health department inspections and zoning complaints—should be quantified so the town can consider adding enforcement-related charges or fees in future seasons. "We probably should have some assignment in that cost for enforcement," Selectwoman Janet Stone McWhiggin said. Kate Bush said interns could help gather comparative fee data from neighboring municipalities.
A member of the public, Rachel Laddow, speaking for Diane’s Bookstore, urged the board to consider how curbside parking loss on "restaurant row" affects nonrestaurant businesses. "A majority of them seem to be down by us...a lot of those parking spaces," Laddow said. Selectmen acknowledged the concern and said they will continue monitoring how outdoor dining affects local parking and walk-in traffic.
Ending: Selectmen said the town will track enforcement and cost data and may revisit fee structure in future seasons; staff were asked to analyze departmental enforcement needs and present comparative fee data from other towns.
