That’s Amore! Arthur Ave. reopening
Bronx’s Little Italy plans to close block for in-street dining on weekends
BY ALEX MITCHELL
The Bronx’s Little Italy
might feel like an outdoor
piazza from the homeland
once New York City enters
into Phase 2 in the upcoming
days.
Currently, the Belmont
Business Improvement District
is cooking up a plan to
close portions of Arthur Avenue
to make way for in-street,
outdoor dining on weekend
evenings, according to the
BID’s treasurer, Frank Franz.
Calling the concept one like
that of an Italian mall, Franz
says that many of the beloved,
old world restaurants, delis,
and stores on the avenue also
will likely remain open later
into the night than they have
in prior, pre-COVID times.
“Everyone stays open later,
it becomes like an event,” he
said.
Franz anticipates these
weekend exclusive street closures
to happen roughly between
5 to 11 p.m., potentially
including Friday nights as
well.
Only weekend evenings
were selected so that much
of Arthur Avenue’s non-food
retail could retain suffi cient
parking for its customers that
are anticipated to return when
allowed, he explained.
Also, aside from the business
lunch crowd on weekdays,
it’s over the weekend
when the iconic Bronx street
sees a majority of its ravished
diners, according to Franz.
Saying that Belmont restaurant
owners are “acutely
interested” in the Phase 2 operation,
he noted that many of
Arthur Avenue’s restaurants
have shown a commitment to
investing in quality outdoor
spaces when it becomes feasible
and approved by the city’s
Department of Transportation.
The BID recruited famed
transit engineer “Gridlock”
Sam Schwartz for consultation
on this expedient proposal
that will submitted to
the DOT “hopefully in the
next week or two,” the treasurer
said.
While many of the plan’s
other details remain in the
oven, Franz noted that tents,
coverings and heating elements
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,6 JUNE 26-JULY 2, 2020 BTR
for colder months are
all being looked into for the
restaurant corridor.
One defi nite is a 15-foot
wide path that will make way
for any emergency vehicles
that need to cut through the
street, per city regulations.
“The largest concern on
the minds of restaurants now
is opening as soon as possible,”
Franz said, adding that
Arthur Avenue has already
cancelled the New York Pizza
Festival and the block’s famed
Ferragosto festival is questionable
for September.
He also said that Arthur
Avenue bakeries, markets
and stores still have had socially
distanced lines in recent
weeks while restaurants
haven’t done much laying off,
thanks to takeout.
“Still, you can’t make a
business at only 20 to 30 percent
capacity,” Franz said,
adding that he is confi dent
that many restaurants will be
outside immediately in some
form, even if the plan isn’t fi -
Mario’s on Arthur Avenue. Courtesy of the Belmont BID
nalized by the start of Phase
2.
Once that outdoor seating
chart is ready to be served, it
may be something that stays
around in the long term.
If this concept is a successful
one, Franz says that keeping
parts of Arthur Avenue
closed while seasonally appropriate,
giving the strip a
“street festival type feeling”
is also on the table at this
time.