The Orchard Park Town Board was expected to vote Wednesday on scheduling a public hearing on whether or not the town should issue tailgating permits to commercial lot owners and the owners of bars and restaurants that would have allowed them to hold tailgating in private lots.
The issue became moot, however, when Town Board members learned that the Erie County Department of Health had decided to prohibit tailgating activities near the field, the home of the Buffalo Bills, if fans were also going to be barred from the stadium, Orchard Park Councilman Conor Flynn said.
"What we were considering was moving forward with a plan where we would issue permits to commercial lot owners and bars and restaurants in that area if they could prove to the Town Board, through a safety and reopening plan, that they were going to be able to keep Orchard Park residents safe, which has always been our primary concern," said Flynn, following the board's regular meeting.
"At 4:15 p.m. today, though, I received word from the Erie County Department of Health that they had decided that, if there are no fans allowed in the stadium, that the Department of Health would be shutting down any tailgating activities in that area," Flynn added.
As a result, Flynn said the Town Board decided that it was in the best interests of town residents and business owners to table the issue and wait for additional guidance from the county Department of Health.
"We will revisit it, if necessary, under the Department of Health's guidance, when and if fans are actually allowed in the stadium, but I don't know what the Bills or the county's status is on that," Flynn said.
The Town Board voted to schedule a public hearing for 7 p.m. Sept. 2 on making a permanent change to the town code so that it prohibits all buses and party buses from parking on private lots in the town.
There was a moratorium on the vehicles being allowed to park on private lots in the town last year, Flynn said.
Flynn said Orchard Park is trying to figure out the best way to restrict gatherings at satellite lots on a temporary basis for this season. He said it is fairly clear that the town can restrict the commercial parking lot and areas where people pay to park.
