Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Cafe Ordinance topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Long Branch City officials discuss extending months allowed for outdoor cafe dining
Summary
City officials discussed extending the local cafe ordinance's outdoor-dining window from April'October to March'November, saying state changes to liquor-license rules allow more outdoor service but local permitting would remain required.
Long Branch City council members discussed extending the months during which outdoor cafe dining is permitted under the city's existing cafe ordinance.
During agenda review, Speaker 1 asked whether the governor's recent bill allowed restaurants to remain open and use outdoor spaces year-round. Speaker 4, who described the topic as related to liquor licenses, said the state action relaxed rules for licensed premises so temporary outdoor spaces could be treated as part of a licensed establishment and "allow tables outside" without the full process of changing the licensed premises. Speaker 4 said they did not know whether the change was permanent in the final state text.
"All we're trying to do is extend it because people are finding that everybody likes it," Speaker 4 said, describing the council's intent to lengthen the local season for outdoor dining.
According to Speaker 4, the city's existing cafe ordinance regulated outdoor dining from April to October; the proposed local adjustment would extend that season from March through November. Speaker 4 emphasized that the state action did not remove local regulation: "It doesn't because this is still we still control it," they said, adding that the local permit process for cafes would still apply.
The discussion focused on aligning the local ordinance with recent state-level flexibility for temporary outdoor licensed premises while retaining the municipality's permitting and oversight. The transcript does not record a formal vote on the ordinance change during this meeting.
