Mayor Michelle Wu’s resolution to focus on North End eating places with an outside eating ban smacks of retaliation and has solely widened the rift between small enterprise homeowners and the town of Boston.
Wu this week introduced by press launch a brand new coverage permitting Boston eating places that pay a payment to arrange eating patios on sidewalks or in parking spots – besides within the North End.
In that busy neighborhood, the place out of doors eating is the lifeblood of many eating places, eating places can solely serve patrons on sidewalks – if they’re huge sufficient. That key restriction will goal and get rid of out of doors eating all through a lot of the North End.
Wu’s workplace claims they’re focusing on one neighborhood as a result of there are “unique challenges” to accessibility, site visitors and sanitation within the tightly congested North End, and due to close by development initiatives.
“The North End’s sidewalks are very narrow, and so the patios can’t fit on the sidewalks,” she informed WBUR’s “Radio Boston” final yr. “They fit in the street, taking up parking spaces, putting diners close to traffic, in a neighborhood where there already were no alleys where food drop-off, deliveries and parking could happen.”
But it positive looks as if Wu is looking for punishment for a number of North End restaurant homeowners for submitting a lawsuit final yr towards the town for imposing a $7,500 payment for out of doors eating simply within the North End.
Wu doesn’t appear to thoughts when she eliminates a whole bunch of parking spots to make manner for bike and bus lanes, however now she’s complaining about small companies attempting to make a dwelling by taking a number of road spots?
Wu’s new coverage focusing on North End eating places is a part of a sample towards the neighborhood and Italian Americans, in accordance with the restaurant homeowners. Some Italian American teams are nonetheless stinging over the town taking down the Christopher Columbus statue within the North End.
That resolution was made beneath earlier Mayor Marty Walsh, who put the vandalized statue in storage to appease teams protesting Columbus.
The often smiling Wu has been largely absent — leaving massive gaps in her public schedule just lately — besides when she decides to do softball interviews.
But North End restaurant homeowners are filling the void — talking out towards what they take into account a discriminatory abuse of energy by Wu.
Expect extra lawsuits to observe this newest resolution, which suggests extra taxpayer cash going out the window to defend the town.
And anticipate extra restaurant goers to keep away from the North End on scorching summer time nights as a result of they will’t discover an outside eating desk. Every seat is price cash to a restaurant, and he or she’s taking away hundreds of {dollars} per week from restaurant homeowners.
To them, their neighborhood is beneath assault by Wu, who regardless of her discuss serving to the little individuals, appears largely clueless and awkward in the case of defending small companies and mom-and-pop outfits.
It’s simply one other case of a politician speaking loads, however not strolling the stroll.
Source: www.bostonherald.com”