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Committee flags safety and state right-of-way as key hurdles to street dining
Summary
Members said the downtown corridor is a state road, so physical demarcation (bollards, drilled anchors) will require state permission; safety, ADA compliance and officer staffing for closures were raised as potential barriers and cost drivers. The group recommended consulting the state highway authority and the police chief.
Committee members emphasized safety and jurisdictional constraints as central obstacles to routine on-street dining. Chair repeated that because the affected downtown road is a state right-of-way, "you'd have to work with the state" before installing bollards or other permanent demarcation and that the state could refuse physical changes.
Members also raised ADA compliance and police staffing as practical barriers: a heavily traveled street and narrow sidewalks may preclude sidewalk dining, and closing a state road for events would require posting officers. The group discussed charging restaurant owners for bollard installation or establishing a fee in the ordinance to recoup city labor and materials.
