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ALSO COVERING AUBURNDALE, COLLEGE POINT, DOUGLASTON, GLEN OAKS, FLORAL PARK
• LITTLE NECK LEDGER
• WHITESTONE TIMES
July 10-July 16, 2020
EXPANDED OUTDOOR DINING COMES
TO BAYSIDE’S BELL BOULEVARD
BY CARLOTTA MOHAMED
As of last weekend, restaurant
owners on Bell Boulevard
can expand their outdoor dining
options under a new citywide
initiative that combines
two popular programs: Open
Streets and Open Restaurants.
Bell Boulevard is among
the first 22 locations for the
program to open to pedestrians,
Mayor Bill de Blasio announced
on July 2. Another 10
to 20 corridors will be approved
by Friday, July 17.
Restaurants on these corridorscan
place seating further
away from the curb than other
Open Restaurants participants,
and the remaining street space
will be open to pedestrian traffic.
The Bayside Village Improvement
District will be managing
two connected streets in
Bayside as part of the program:
Bell Boulevard, between 39th
and 41st Avenues; and 41st Avenue,
between Bell Boulevard
and 214th Place.
These streets will be fully
closed to vehicles on Friday
evenings, from 5 to 11 p.m., and
Saturdays, and for expanded
outdoor dining on Fridays and
Saturdays from 6 p.m. to 11
p.m. and from noon to 10 p.m.
Outdoor dining at the Taverna Kyclades restaurant on Bell Boulevard. Photo by Dean Moses
on Sundays. Expanded seating
will last until Labor Day (Monday,
Sept. 7).
An emergency clear lane
will be maintained down the
middle of the street to make
sure that the streets remain
safe and passable for emergency
vehicles.
City Councilman Paul Vallone
was thrilled to share the
news about the initiative, which
will offer some more dine-in
food service in the open air.
“This gives New Yorkers
a safe way to enjoy a meal out
while supporting their favorite
local eateries,” said Vallone,
who is also chair of the Committee
on Economic Development.
According to State Assemblyman
Ed Braunstein, the
opening up of Bell Boulevard
for expanded outdoor dining
will “help businesses begin to
recover from the shutdown.”
Meanwhile, restaurant owners
expressed joy upon hearing
the news.
“Between our customers
and our restaurant owners, it’s
hard to tell who’s happier!” said
Christine Silletti, executive
director of the Bayside Village
BID. “It was important to support
all of our small businesses,
so we discussed the options as a
community, as well as block by
block, in order to come up with
a plan. Council Member Vallone
and his staff, Community
Board 11, and the 111th Precinct
have been super supportive of
our small businesses and their
need to get back to work (and
fun) in a safe way.”
In the meantime, the mayor
said he’s looking forward to
expanding the program in the
coming weeks.
“Combining our popular
Open Streets and Open Restaurants
programs will give more
New Yorkers the space they deserve
to enjoy the outdoors safely
– and give small businesses
the chance to rebuild after facing
unprecedented challenges
this spring,” de Blasio said.
Polly Trottenberg, commissioner
of the Department of
Transportation, said they’re
excited to be able to give restaurants
the additional room they
need to welcome more customers,
so that they can all work
together to rebuild the key sector
of the city’s local economy
in the wake of the COVID-19
pandemic.
Vol. 86 No. 28 32 total pages
2021
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