For Immediate Release: 6/12/2020 4:26 pm
Worcester – The Worcester License Commission this week approved temporary extensions of premises for 44 restaurants.
The Commission will meet again Monday, June 15; Wednesday, June 17; and (if necessary) Friday, June 19 to review additional requests for outdoor dining licenses.
The meetings are being held to facilitate expedited permitting to allow restaurants to extend their premises and offer new or expanded outdoor table service under Phase II of the Commonwealth’s phased COVID-19 reopening plan. At this time, restaurants are allowed to re-open to provide seated outdoor table service only.
The 2020 Temporary Outdoor Dining Program allows restaurants to establish outdoor dining in parking lots and other outdoor areas, suspends minimum parking requirements to enable the temporary conversion of parking to outdoor dining areas, and lifts normally-applicable caps on the number of seats provided outdoors. Restaurants must comply with all applicable building code, fire code, and public health requirements, including COVID-19 safety and controls measures.
The newly-established temporary licensing process for restaurants seeking to reopen for outdoor dining is as follows:
• Restaurants with existing outdoor licensed patio areas may open for outdoor dining in compliance with Phase II opening requirements, but must submit a COVID-19 plan and an updated seating sketch showing compliance with safety and control requirements. These documents can be emailed to outdoordining@worcesterma.gov.
• Restaurants with existing outdoor licensed sidewalk dining areas may open for outdoor dining in compliance with Phase II opening requirements, but must submit a COVID-19 plan, updated seating sketch, and a supplemental sidewalk application, which temporarily replaces the normal annual sidewalk use permit for the 2020 season. Materials can be emailed to outdoordining@worcesterma.gov.
• Any new or expanded outdoor area, including use of parking areas for outdoor dining, requires a temporary license from the Worcester License Commission. Applicants must e-mail a completed application (and supplemental sidewalk application, if applicable) to outdoordining@worcesterma.gov to apply through the expedited 2020 Temporary Outdoor Dining Program. There is no fee to apply.
More information can be found through the following links:
• Safety Standards and Guidelines
• Governor's June 1, 2020 Executive Order #35
• City Manager's June 3, 2020 Executive Order
