Outdoor dining at New City Microcreamery sits along the sidewalk in downtown Hudson.
By Justin Roshak, Contributing Writer
HUDSON – The Select Board showed support for continuing outdoor dining at its June 21 meeting.
The board issued a seven-day, indoor and outdoor entertainment license to restaurant Kith and Kin, to apply between 11 a.m. and 11 p.m.
Although there was some uncertainty about the exact nature of planned performances, such as whether they will be a DJ, the Select Board extended the benefit of the doubt.
“I would give them the okay for live music, period,” said Board member James Quinn.
“I’d like to commend the owner-applicant,” Quinn later added. “They have taken an abandoned, derelict alley and turned it into a nice patio for outdoor seating.”
The board also approved a seasonal sidewalk dining permit for New City Microcreamery, in effect from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. The ice cream parlor will be permitted to occupy the sidewalk outside its 28 Main St location.
Owner Michael Kasseris told the board that new sidewalk space had created the opportunity for outdoor dining, which had been approved only temporarily due to the pandemic.
In a separate decision, the board voted to grant New City Microcreamery an All Alcohol Pouring License.
All applications were approved by the Select Board unanimously after discussion.
The board also formally extended all other ongoing outdoor dining permits until April 21, 2022.
This follows legislation, passed through the state legislature and signed by Gov. Charlie Baker last month that extended COVID-19-era accommodations through that April 2022 date. These accommodations allow municipal boards and committees to continue meeting remotely if they choose to do so. The accommodations also allow businesses to continue outdoor dining and takeaway cocktail services that became popular during the pandemic.
Locally, this also follows discussion early last month regarding the restaurant Welly’s, which is located in Hudson’s Wood Square.
Residents raised concerns about the layout of Welly’s outdoor dining operation. Select Board members Fred Lucy and Shawn Sadowski sympathized with those concerns as Sadowski asked if Welly’s could move its seating closer to its building to avoid blocking part of the sidewalk.
Welly’s co-owner Wellington DePinho, as well as his building’s owner Charles Randall said that would not be a viable option as it would reduce outdoor seating and potentially block access to neighboring businesses.
Select Board Chair Scott Duplisea cautioned against pushing Welly’s to adjust its outdoor operation.
As no action was taken at that June 7 meeting, Lucy called for standardization of outdoor dining rules as the practice will continue into the post-pandemic future.
“We need to rethink the temporary standards for distance and turn them into permanent standards for distance that would be applicable for all the restaurants operating on Town property,” Lucy said.
