MONTGOMERY COUNTY, Md. — Montgomery County has announced that four streeteries that were created in 2020 are being reevaluated for this upcoming fall.
This decision is in light of what the county says in a press release is a shift "as the pandemic continues to ease." The four streeteries being impacted are the ones located at Newell Street in Silver Spring, Price Avenue in Silver Spring, Norfolk Avenue in Bethesda and Woodmont Avenue in Bethesda.
“The Streeteries have provided a practical solution to a pandemic-related problem,” said County Executive Marc Elrich. “They served as much-needed gathering spaces during the pandemic and provided a creative solution. Now as the situation has changed, we worked with the community in each area to decide how these spaces will continue to operate."
Even though plenty of businesses have reverted back to normal business operations, those that are still receiving COVID-19 accommodations without any streatery designation will need to obtain permits from Montgomery County after Labor Day, according to the release. Officials say this is to make sure accessibility requirements are met.
“Although we will work with businesses after Labor Day, they will need to reach out to the Permitting Services Office if they have not yet secured tent and outdoor café permits to ensure they comply with accessibility requirements,” said the Department of Permitting Services Director Mitra Pedoeem.
The Newell Street location in Silver spring will reopen for cars after Labor Day, according to the release. The street will continue to close for scheduled public events throughout the year.
The Price Avenue location in Wheaton and the Norfolk Avenue location in Bethesda are scheduled to continue operation as a streetery "for the foreseeable future," according to the release. The Norfolk Avenue streetery will remain closed to cars.
Additionally, repairs are underway starting this fall to repair facilities belonging to the Washington Suburban Sanitary Commission. This may cause a temporary closing of the Price Avenue streetery for a few days, according to the release.
A meeting is planned for late September or early October on the topic of possible expansion of the Price Avenue streetery. According to the release, this is to create more accommodations for bicyclists and pedestrians.
The Woodmont Avenue streetery in Bethesda will be suspended temporarily and will reopen to traffic temporarily after the Labor Day holiday, the press release said. This is due to the construction of the Woodmont Avenue Cycle Track.
In the community, a survey is circulating from the Bethesda-Chevy Chase RSC, the release states. The survey will be used to determine "long-term plans for the streetery." Additionally, there are plans for redesigning to expand outdoor dining. This is being privately funded by the Federal Realty Investment Trust, however, there have not been any decisions made on the long-term design, according to the release.