Molto Bene Will Get Outdoor Seating

Just over three weeks after seeking an agreement, has been granted the permission to install temporary tables, chairs and a fence outside its Main Street storefront.

Under the agreement, approved unanimously at the Borough Council's April 26 meeting, the cafe will be allowed to set up the seating area as long as it leaves six feet of room between the seating and the road for passersby.

The Italian café and market first  from the Hightstown Borough Council April 7, but the council opted to review the agreement more thoroughly. The document originally proposed was similar to that used by the , but officials noted that Slowdown’s seating is on a borough road,  Rogers Avenue, while Molto Bene’s location on Main Street puts it on a road owned by the state.

“A number of the terms have been strengthened; a number of questions I had about this contract have been addressed," Democrat and Council President Isabel McGinty said Tuesday. It was she who first raised objections to the immediate approval of the agreement at the April 7 meeting.

On the  on this subject, Molto Bene co-owner Valeria Adamo commented April 27, “We hope that the addition of our awning and outdoor seating makes our street feel more like Downtown Main Street and we hope it benefits the revitalization of Downtown Hightstown.”

Co-owner Peter Adamo said he expects the seating to be up within several weeks.