GREENFIELD — Three months after city officials confirmed their decision to prohibit use of parking spaces for outdoor dining along Main Street’s Borofsky Block this summer, outdoor seating is back at Ice Cream Alley as part of a pilot program.

Mirroring the setup customers got used to during the pandemic, the business at 221 Main St. now sports three wooden tables, each with three wooden folding chairs, across two parking spaces enclosed by concrete barriers and city-owned wooden planters. Beth Diamond, one of four co-owners, said the barriers went up on July 12 to form a parklet, or small seating area created as a public amenity on or alongside a sidewalk. Ice Cream Alley is sponsoring the parklet and must maintain a liability insurance policy for the space.

“We’re very excited to have it,” Diamond said. “I’d say the main word is ‘relieved.’ It’s great to have our customers off the sidewalk and have a place to sit.”

City officials reversed their decision after a grant-funded parking study discovered that parking supply significantly outweighs demand, with roughly half of the nearly 3,000 downtown spots always empty. Ice Cream Alley co-owner Bryan Dolan said it was encouraging to see city officials be responsive to data and the will of the people.

“We’re absolutely thrilled. It’s just fantastic,” he said about getting the outdoor seating back. “We really think that it was the right decision for Greenfield, not just for us.”

Dolan said he and the three other co-owners have big plans for the parklet, including more seating. Diamond mentioned adding some umbrellas and indoor-outdoor rugs. One of the wooden planters has a button that activates a bubble machine perched in a tree.

Diamond said business has been “slightly up” from last year (25,000 ice cream cones) but heavy rainfall and poor air quality resulting from raging Canadian wildfires have hampered it. Ice Cream Alley opened for the season on April 7 and the plan is to close for the year in late October.

“People are really glad it’s here,” Diamond said of the outdoor seating. “I haven’t heard anybody say they don’t want it to be there. So it’s been really popular.”

Mayor Roxann Wedegartner said in a statement that the city decided to incorporate the idea of parklets while working with Ice Cream Alley to help the business reclaim some extra space for its outdoor eating area.

“We decided to use the two parking spaces closest to their venue as a ‘parklet’ licensed by the city and sponsored by Ice Cream Alley for their use,” she explained. “We are currently working on a written agreement for that space. It is not likely that we will do any other parklets for this year, but will work with the [Board of License Commissioners] on a process for applying for space for next year.”

Customer Michael Nix, owner of Nix Works on Main Street and a member of the Greenfield Business Association, said he supports any effort to increase the visibility of the city’s businesses.

“In light of the parking research that was just released, saying that … we have more parking available than is used, I think it’s a great idea to have this outdoor seating,” Nix said after having ice cream at one of the tables. “It makes the restaurants, especially during the summer months, somehow friendlier, more approachable, and I think people like coming downtown and eating outside.

“It’s really pleasant, and during the pandemic I really enjoyed it here and at a number of other establishments that had outdoor seating,” he added. “I thought it was great for business and I thought it was great for the community.”

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.

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