Tarrytown Board Prorates Sidewalk Café Fees

In what must have been a record-breakingly short meeting (five minutes), the Tarrytown Board of Trustees unanimously resolved to impose higher, but prorated, fees for restaurants using sidewalk space for outdoor dining.

“I hope everyone’s warm and cozy at home,” began Mayor Drew Fixell, greeting those watching the meeting on television rather than come out on this frigid Tuesday night. (In fact, on one came out at all.)

Though it’s impossible to consider sidewalk dining right now, the season is coming soon, having been extended from March 15 to November 30.

The previous outdoor café permit rate was set at $250 for all applicants with a $500 deposit annually. However, the Board wanted to move towards a different fee structure that better reflected the wide range in area these sidewalk businesses occupy.

Other municipalities charge anywhere from set fees of $100 (Irvington, Nyack, Peekskill) to $3.50 per square foot of sidewalk utilized (New Rochelle) to a mix of both, $100/year plus $3 per square foot (Mt. Kisco).

On Tuesday, the Board resolved to adopt the mixed formula of $100 plus $3.50 per square foot, which puts the Village on the high end of this regional scale.

Lefteris and Sweet Grass will now pay the most by this scenario (over $1,000 annually) with smaller cafes Chiboust and Sol Mar paying the least at slightly less than their original $250.

Here’s an estimate of how some local restaurant fees will look going forward:

Do these fees seem fairer to you? Weigh in in the comments. 

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