Mayor Kathy Sheehan, Department of Planning and Development Commissioner Chris Spencer, and Albany Police Department Traffic Engineer Bill Trudeau unveiled an effort to help area restaurants by allowing for expanded outdoor dining opportunities.
This program will include expanded use of sidewalk areas where available, allowance for dining in outdoor parking or other areas contiguous to any establishment, and in some cases street closures or lane closures.
Beginning Friday, June 19, 2020, the following street closures will be in effect through at least July 31 (subject to change):
Sheridan Avenue, from Chapel Street to North Pearl. This closure will begin at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, and end at 11:00 p.m. on Sunday. On Sunday morning, the street will be temporarily opened to allow congregants of First Reform Church to enter or exit the parking lot via Sheridan Avenue.
Bridge Street, between Broadway and midway to Mill Lane. This closure will be in effect daily between 4:00 p.m. and 2:00 a.m.
In some areas, the City will temporarily prohibit parking to allow pedestrians to utilize the parking lane, allowing for the entire depth of the sidewalks to be utilized for outdoor dining. The City will utilize several methods for ensuring pedestrian safety and continued ADA compliance, including temporary barricades and ramps.
The following parking lane closures will go into effect on Friday at 6:00 p.m. and remain in effect until at least July 31 (subject to change):
Madison Avenue along the south side between South Allen Street and midway to West Lawrence Street;
North Pearl Street along the east side between Pine Street and Steuben Street; and
Thatcher Street along the south side between Broadway and Common Place.
The City will continue to work on other areas in the coming weeks. This may include a potential closure of Lark Street from Washington Avenue to Madison Avenue, from 6 p.m. on Fridays until 11:00 p.m. on Saturdays. Any plan would allow cross traffic or side streets to flow through the area to minimize impacts to area residents. Further details will be announced in the coming days.
The City of Albany would like to thank the continued partnership of the Downtown Albany Business Improvement District, Lark Street Business Improvement District, Central Avenue Business Improvement District, Common Council Members Richard Conti, Owusu Anane, Joyce Love, Kelly Kimbrough, and Ginnie Farrell, and County Legislator Matthew Peter for helping collaborate on this program.