Does Downtown Lawrence need more outdoor dining?

Strolling down Massachusetts Street on a beautiful spring day, it’s hard to argue with the appeal of sidewalk seating for downtown eating establishments.

A note of caution, however, seems warranted as city officials consider requests from other restaurants seeking to expand their service onto the public sidewalk.

The Downtown Lawrence official who said the sidewalk seating areas “create a festive atmosphere” is right. But so is the city planning official who said, “one of the nice things about downtown is our wonderful wide sidewalks.”

City officials need to be careful not to allow so much additional restaurant seating downtown that it impedes foot traffic.

Mayor David Dunfield said he hasn’t heard any complaints about the sidewalks being obstructed by diners, but it’s obvious — complaints or not — that the tables can contribute to pedestrian bottlenecks. Local law enforcement has done a pretty good job of eliminating one pedestrian hazard by removing bicyclists from downtown sidewalks, but sidewalk space still needs to be sufficient to handle baby strollers, wheelchairs and groups of giggling teenagers strolling down Massachusetts Street in both directions.

The current restrictions on sidewalk dining are good ones that should be retained and enforced. Only businesses that do 70 percent of their business in food can acquire a sidewalk permit. The absence of outdoor dining obviously doesn’t eliminate sidewalk crowds outside downtown drinking establishments, but at least it doesn’t encourage those congregations.

Of course, the best solution would be for restaurants to provide a recessed area at the front of their businesses for outside dining. Although there are no tables in front of Free State Brewing Co., 636 Mass., the benches in front of that business are a good example of how a restaurant can provide outdoor seating without taking public sidewalk space.

It’s funny, in a way, that eating outside should be an issue in an area where the climate provides relatively short seasons in which the weather isn’t too hot, too cold or too windy to really enjoy the experience. But obviously the demand is there.

The current state of outdoor dining in downtown Lawrence doesn’t present serious problems, and requests from a few more restaurants probably won’t have a significant impact. It’s just wise for city officials to remember that, when it comes to sidewalk seating, it’s possible to have too much of a good thing.