Restaurants in the Boston area and elsewhere in Massachusetts could be allowed to reopen seating areas as early as next week depending on when Phase 2 begins, and with it, cities and towns in the local region are working on plans to help dining spots with outdoor seating.
According to several sources, communities such as Waltham, Arlington, and Quincy are in various stages of making things easier for restaurants to set up outdoor dining areas and/or expand existing outdoor patios/decks, with Waltham getting ready to close Moody Street to traffic as mentioned here earlier, Quincy allowing restaurants to set up sections on sidewalks or extended patios according to Wicked Local, and Arlington working on a similar proposal that would allow for outdoor seating on sidewalks, parking lots, on-street parking spaces, or landscaped yard areas around the dining spots. It looks like other cities and towns in the Boston area are working on plans to help with outdoor seating as well, and further out, Provincetown is considering something similar to Waltham, looking at possibly closing down part of Commercial Street to traffic Thursday through Sunday evenings according to the Cape Cod Times.
As of now, the earliest that Phase 2 could begin is Monday, June 8, with Governor Charlie Baker slated to give more information on its exact starting date tomorrow. As of now, Phase 2 includes allowing restaurants to initially open outdoor areas, and eventually, indoor areas.
by Marc Hurwitz (Also follow us on Twitter at @hiddenboston)
[A related post from our sister site (Boston's Hidden Restaurants): List of Restaurant Closings and Openings in the Boston Area]
