In February 2021, Trustee Slaby convened a task force of Village officials, restaurant managers and owners, retail owners, and residents to address the question of expanded outdoor dining for the restaurants in the Village. Although their primary goal is to think through long-term approaches, they will also examine what outdoor dining and shopping will look like in the immediate future, as COVID-19 sadly continues to be a threat.

This task force was suspended with the creation of the Comprehensive Plan Committee in October of 2021.

The membership of the Village of Rhinebeck's Outdoor Dining Task Force is Michael Forlenza, Jean Michel, David Miller, Lila Pague, Victoria Polidoro, Fletcher Tingle, John Traver, Luciano Valdivia, and Trustee Lydia Slaby.

View the complete list of Regulations.

Permitting process:

All outdoor dining permits granted in 2020 expire on May 1, 2021. New permit applications must be submitted to the Village Clerk by April 15, 2021 to be approved by April 30, 2021.

Outdoor Dining (Seating) Application
Outdoor Retail Application

Thus far, this Task Force has:

• generated a recommended plan and regulations for the Village to adopt around outdoor dining for the 2021 spring, summer, and fall seasons;

• generated a draft outdoor dining permit for restaurants who would like expanded outdoor seating;

• generated a draft outdoor retail permit for retailers who would like expanded outdoor retail;

• worked with the Village engineers on drafting a safe site plan for expanded outdoor seating on certain public parking areas;

• held three live public comments and encouraged written communication from the public over two weeks in March to discuss all draft ideas and documents;

• received bids from various companies to purchase and/or rent appropriate street barriers to keep everyone safe;

• been in conversation with Dutchess County to coordinate plans there; and

• submit an application to the State Department of Transportation for permits to barricade off parking on parts of E. and W. Market Streets.
  

Because a conversation like this can only be improved with public input, Trustee Slaby held three live public comment opportunities. You can view the meeting recordings below.

We still welcome all written correspondence (please email mmcclinton@villageofrhinebeckny.gov, use the Public Comment form on our Board of Trustees page, or drop off a letter at the Village Hall drop box).

• Thursday March 11 at 12 noon View meeting HERE

• Thursday March 18 at 10:30 am View meeting HERE

• Thursday March 18 at 6pm View meeting HERE

Public Readouts will be generated after each meeting of the Task Force and uploaded to this webpage.

• February 17, 2021 readout

• March 19, 2021 readout

Additional feedback includes:

• Support of businesses and the overall plan, but desire to make sure the sidewalks are passable and safe for residents.

• Some restaurant owners credit the extra outdoor dining with allowing them to keep their restaurants open.

• Concern that the loss of parking outweighed the benefit of increased pedestrian traffic.

• Mindfulness of the historic character of our Village and the need to uphold our planning and zoning code long term.

  As an additional data point to consider, see the findings from a Rhinebeck Responds report “Analysis of Rhinebeck Responds Follow-up Survey”:

In June 2020, as part of New York state’s Phase 2 reopening of the Hudson Valley region, the Village of Rhinebeck introduced a set of controversial, widely discussed changes to public areas of the central Village business district. The Village expanded outdoor dining and retail space on sidewalks and into the street, separating these areas from traffic with physical barricades. This change significantly reduced on-street parking along East and West Market Street. The Village also posted signs indicating a mask requirement for all visitors.

Six months later, it appears that Village business owners came to view those changes favorably.

A survey of 38 business owners conducted by Rhinebeck Responds in December 2020 and January 2021 found

- More than three-fourths (79 percent) of the respondents felt that the benefits of expanded dining and retail space outweighed the impact of reduced parking.

- Almost as many, 72 percent, said that the reduced parking had “no impact” on their business; another 19 percent said the parking changes “helped my business" while 9 percent said the parking changes “hurt my business."