Two Chesco Towns Closed Streets for Outdoor Dining During Pandemic, a Trend Likely to Continue Indefinitely 

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outdoor dining
Image via Charles Fox, Philadelphia Inquirer.
West Chester in October 2020.

West Chester and Phoenixville are among the suburbs that started closing their main streets on warm-weather weekends during the pandemic to turn them into pedestrian plazas, writes Erin McCarthy for the Philadelphia Inquirer

However, this trend has proven so successful and popular that both towns are now considering keeping the practice in effect indefinitely. 

The streets were originally closed to help restaurants and shops stay afloat amid the pandemic restrictions. For many business owners, the practice turned out to be a much-needed lifeline. 

“If it wasn’t for the street closure, we would be out of business,” said Orbi Bitraj, an owner and business partner of Il Granaio in Phoenixville. 

Now that the pandemic is subsiding, Phoenixville and West Chester officials are planning on continuing the practice for the foreseeable future to help attract visitors. West Chester is still closing Gay Street to cars on weekends, and Phoenixville is doing the same with the main thoroughfare of Bridge Street. 

“If you come down on a Friday or Saturday night, there are bands everywhere, musicians in the street, kids playing, adults walking around and talking to each other,” said Mayor Peter Urscheler of Phoenixville. 

Read more about the trend in the Philadelphia Inquirer.

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