Peduto wants to block off streets for outdoor dining in Pittsburgh

Pittsburgh Mayor Bill Peduto is exploring options to revive Pittsburgh’s restaurant scene with outdoor dining.

“We’re in danger,” he said, when asked if some restaurants could close in the next year. “I think within the next month will be critical time. If we can get outdoor seating established this next month, I think we can save the restaurants in Pittsburgh.”

On Tuesday, Peduto described to reporters a plan to block off streets in neighborhoods such as Shadyside to provide more outdoor seating “as soon as the governor gives us the OK.”

“You can imagine if Walnut Street were to block off for a couple of blocks, we could add 100 tables and be able to have all the restaurants share,” the mayor said. “You sit down at a table, you decide which restaurant you want to go to that night, you get the menu and you have your meal outside.”

The idea is popular in other metro areas. Indianapolis, Chicago and Portland, Maine, are among cities that have opened streets for outdoor dining or at least considered it in recent weeks.

If Pittsburgh follows suit, Peduto said it will be up to each individual neighborhood association to participate to choose the appropriate street – it won’t be a blanket policy for the entire city. So far, he said, the Mayor’s Office has had conversations with a half-dozen neighborhoods about temporarily blocking portions of their business districts.

Mark Bucklaw, president of the South Side Chamber of Commerce, said businesses in the neighborhood have been “touch and go.” Many are eager to reopen. He said the chamber would gladly support the use of streets for businesses to operate outside.

“As far as this idea of shutting down street sections, creating more outdoor space, we certainly believe that it can be done and it should be done as long as it’s safe,” Bucklaw said.

Bucklaw predicted that there could be some hurdle with East Carson Street being a state highway — but noted that it’s been temporarily closed before for the Pittsburgh Marathon and for OpenStreetsPGH. If East Carson Street couldn’t be used, he said, plenty of other South Side streets could become candidates.

In Lawrenceville, Peduto said Butler Street could be a solid opportunity for outdoor dining. But Rachel Webber, business district manager at the Lawrenceville Corporation, worried the street may become too dense to adequately encourage social distancing.

“We love the idea of using streets creatively and always support multimodal transportation in our neighborhood. Butler Street is a dense, vibrant and diverse business district, so it’s a delicate balance to strike,” she said.

In an ideal situation, Webber said, pedestrians would have enough space to walk while retailers have access to parking and curbside pickup space and restaurants have expanded outdoor dining.

“But because Butler Street is so dense, having all that happen at once might not be possible in certain areas,” she said.

The Lawrenceville Corporation is looking for sections of Butler Street, as well as side streets, alleys and green spaces where they could “strike that balance,” Webber said.

Restaurants in Pennsylvania are allowed only to serve delivery and curbside pickup orders, but lawmakers in the region are pushing for outdoor dining as a way to revitalize businesses and lessen the pandemic’s damage to local economies. Six state legislators asked Gov. Tom Wolf in a letter to allow outdoor seating for restaurants by Memorial Day. The group included state Reps. Dan Deasy, Anita Astorino Kulik and Adam Ravenstahl, all from Allegheny County.

“This is happening to the restaurants in Barcelona and in Beirut,” said Peduto. “It’s up to us to create a local response to the restaurants within the city of Pittsburgh.”