The purpose of this chapter is to permit certain outdoor eating
facilities adjacent to existing restaurants and businesses selling
prepared food in order to encourage the viability of restaurants and
food-service establishments and to enhance the vitality of the Township
of Willingboro.
All outdoor eating facilities permitted by this chapter must
comply with the following:
A. A safe, continuous, and level path on the public right-of-way (sidewalk)
shall be maintained for pedestrian traffic to pass in front of the
property operating the outdoor eating facility. Such path must be
not less than four feet in width between the most forward edge of
any furniture or other items and any existing and proposed features,
such as trees, tree wells, planters, benches, trash cans, signs, hydrants,
utility poles, curb lines, and similar publicly installed fixtures
or other items in the right-of-way.
B. No outside furniture or other items may be located within three feet
of the curb line.
C. All outside furniture or other items shall be removed from the public
right-of-way (sidewalk) at the end of business each day and stored
inside the business.
D. Logos, words, signs or symbols may not be visible on any furniture
or other outdoor items.
E. All trash and litter must be contained, cleaned up and/or removed
for appropriate storage so that there is no blowing paper or other
trash on or coming from the site.
F. Disposable items including, but not limited to, dishes, cutlery,
cups, table covers, and napkins:
(1) Shall not be used as part of any outdoor eating facilities where
employees of the business serve patrons.
(2) May be used by patrons using outdoor furniture where food and drinks
are obtained inside the business premises and there is a satisfactory
plan to insure that these disposable items do not become litter. Businesses
meeting this requirement must include appropriately located trash
receptacles in their plan along with regular monitoring and cleanup
by employees of the business.
G. Pedestrian traffic shall not be impaired due to the operations of
serving food and drinks or during set up or removal of the outdoor
furniture and items.
H. There must be a satisfactory operating plan that covers the following:
(1) Serving of food and drinks;
(2) Cleaning any accumulation of trash, garbage and/or litter;
(3) Ensuring that pedestrian traffic will not be impaired; and
(4) Removing all tables, chairs, storage items, and other items from
the right-of-way when the operations cease each day.
It shall be unlawful to place furniture and other items on the
outside of any property to be used in connection with a proposed,
or existing outdoor eating facility in the Township of Willingboro
without first making application for and obtaining an outdoor eating
facility permit.
Once the Zoning Officer has deemed the application complete,
such Officer shall review the application to determine if it conforms
to the appropriate sections of this chapter. The Zoning Officer shall
then issue a written decision indicating whether the proposed outdoor
eating facility is in conformance and what aspects, if any, of the
proposed facility are not in conformance.
Any person who violates any part of this chapter, or does any act or thing prohibited, or refuses to do any act required to be done, or refuses or fails to comply with an order of the Zoning Officer, or an order of the Board with jurisdiction in this chapter, shall, upon conviction thereof before any judicial officer authorized to hear and determine the matter, be subject to the penalties provided in §
1-15 of the Code of the Township of Willingboro. Whenever such person shall have been officially notified by the Zoning Officer or by service of a summons in a prosecution, or in any other official manner, that such person is committing a violation, each day's continuance of such violation after such notification shall constitute separate offense punishable by a like fine or penalty.