Residents Voice Support For Seasonal Closure Of Maple Street In Summit

SUMMIT, NJ — The potential seasonal closure of Maple Street, to allow for outdoor dining in Summit, was top of mind for residents at Tuesday night's Council meeting.

The majority of residents who spoke out at the meeting voiced their support for a seasonal closure, arguing that outdoor dining in the warmer months brings more foot traffic to the downtown and allows local businesses to thrive.

Council President Greg Vartan said there is a "broad consensus" among residents and council members that some sort of seasonal closure of Maple Street is desired.

While some are in support of a full-year closure, and others do not want the street to be closed at all, Vartan said the best course of action would be to seek a seasonal closure.

Vartan then outlined the next steps in the process.

First, he said the council will define the exact seasonal closure timing, with specific dates. Then, the council will look into legal safety requirements and consult with the city attorney and Department of Transportation. Lastly, the council will go over fees and design.

In late February and early March, Vartan said the council will continue to engage with the community and take official actions that include a detailed street closing plan, resolutions and ordinances.

"We want to make sure that we're going about this in a way that ensures that we have the legal authority to do it and that we have the safety elements in place to do it," Vartan said.

Prior the meeting, a resident shared on Facebook an email that the owner of Fiornio, an Italian restaurant on Maple Street, sent to customers, stating that "the council is asking residents and patrons in favor [of the closure] to attend the next meeting, and to speak during the public hearing."

Councilwoman Delia Hamlet said that she was not aware that the council was encouraging people to speak about the closure and that this message did not come from her.

"We're really trying to be objective through this process," Hamlet said, speaking on behalf of the council. "We all love outdoor dining, we see both sides, we all want a safe town."

Owner Mentor Bitici wrote that the City allowed the restaurant to use Maple Street for outdoor dining during the pandemic.

"The past three years of this addition to our small, family-run business has been a major success, and we would to continue offering this experience," Bitici wrote.

At the meeting, many residents voiced their support for a seasonal closure.

Resident Dylan Baker, who also leases a building on Maple Street, said the seasonal closure will help attract people to Summit's downtown. He suggested that a closure should last from May to October every year.

Sam Coburn said while the Maple Street closure during the pandemic came out of a "horrible circumstance," he said it opened people's eyes to a way to improve the downtown district.

"There's a lot of great things that happen in our businesses downtown and when you bring out onto the [street], whether it's a street fair where it's closed for a day or Maple Street where it's closed for four months, it takes all the great things that are going on in Summit's businesses and it brings it out for show," Coburn said.

However, resident Daniel Jaxel said the city should not be picking "business winners and losers" by closing public streets during non-emergencies.

He argued that Maple Street should be open year-round.

"The roads exist for everybody," Jaxel said. "The poorest Summit resident should have full access to Maple Street and other roads just as much as the wealthy should."

Dorrie Gagnon said she in favor of a seasonal closure, but a decision should not be made until the impact of the Broad Street West redevelopment project is known.

"We don't know the impact Broad Street West is going to have on this town," Gagnon said. "So if we decide this is gonna happen every year, ... to close Maple Street off, we don't know how the traffic flow is going to be, we don't know the impact of that congestion."

Gagnon also mentioned the recent pedestrian safety issues that have occurred in the city with people getting hit by cars at various intersections.

Council member Marjorie Fox said the city is only looking at making a temporary closure for this year and closing off the street for multiple years is not yet on the table.

You can watch the full council meeting on YouTube here.