June 15 can’t be here soon enough! For the past several months, the coronavirus COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging to our local communities. However, as people continue to follow proper social distancing guidelines, a return back to normal is on the horizon. That new normal, though, is going to be much different than what it was prior to the pandemic.
NJ governor, Phil Murphy, gave the green light for some businesses to reopen with certain restrictions in place to help stem the ongoing pandemic. On June 15, Red Bank restaurants will be permitted to offer outdoor dining — while non-essential retail stores will be permitted to allow customers in stores. Indeed, there will still be certain precautions in place, so it’s always a good, ongoing practice to wear face masks in places where you’ll be in close contact with other people.
Still, there are more ambitious plans in the works to make Red Bank even more attractive to locals and visitors. For starters, plans are in the works to develop pedestrian plazas to make Red Bank’s downtown district more open and accessible to the public. If you’ve ever walked through the Grove Street in Jersey City, you can envision something similar (on a smaller scale, of course) in Red Bank.
This plan focuses on making pedestrian only sections, which would close down Broad Street between Front Street and Wallace Street, to vehicle traffic from Thursday to Saturday evenings. Additionally, the same plan is expected for Monmouth Street between Maple Avenue and Broad Street on Sundays.
It’s all fantastic news, with even more businesses expected to open at later dates — including salons! What are you most excited about? Now that businesses are slowly opening once again, it’ll be interesting to see how some events will be planned for the future in town.
source: Monmouth County Clerk & The State of New Jersey
