3 BRONX WEEKLY June 28, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
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 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 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.
Mario’s on Arthur Avenue. Courtesy of the Belmont BID
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