Approved: Princeton, NJ Restaurant Making Outdoor Dining Space Permanent
A popular Princeton restaurant has gotten the town's approval to make its temporary outdoor dining space a permanent one.
Ivy Inn to turn temporary outdoor dining area into permanent space
The Patch is reporting that the Princeton Planning Board has given the go-ahead to the Ivy Inn, a long-time Princeton restaurant, to make the change.
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Like many restaurants across the country, the Ivy Inn turned its parking lot into a makeshift outdoor dining room when the COVID-19 pandemic began back in the spring of 2020.
Restaurants created outdoor dining space during the pandemic to serve food safely
Restaurants weren't allowed to have customers inside their establishments because of the closeness between tables in fear of the virus spreading. Restaurants thought quickly, got creative, and set up outdoor dining areas to survive during a very difficult time.
Fast forward a few years. The pandemic is behind us, and locals are still enjoying the outdoor dining spaces that were created during that time. Some restaurants see those spaces as vital community spaces, so they want them to stay, including the Ivy Inn.
Princeton Planning Board said Ivy Inn running fine without front parking lot
The Princeton Planning Board's analysis of the Ivy Inn determined that it has run successfully since the pandemic without its front parking lot, with patrons taking advantage of street parking, local parking garages, and by walking to the restaurant. Princeton is a very walkable town.
This approved plan would enable the town to add a few more metered parking spaces in front of the Ivy Inn. The "curb cuts" from the restaurant's parking lot will be removed, which will make a continuous curb for people to park alongside.
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For more information, click here.
The Ivy Inn is located at 248 Nassau Street in downtown Princeton, NJ.
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Gallery Credit: Rob Carroll
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