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COURIER L 4 IFE, JULY 24-30, 2020
Pols call on city to waive
fi nes resulting from shifting
outdoor dining guidelines
A group of outdoor diners cheers in Bay Ridge on July 22. Photo by Caroline Ourso
BY JESSICA PARKS
Two Bay Ridge lawmakers are calling
on city transportation offi cials
to waive fi nes issued to restaurants
as a result of shifting outdoor dining
regulations at a time when many city
eateries are struggling to stay afl oat
following a statewide shutdown of
most businesses to stem the spread of
COVID-19.
“Safety comes fi rst, so we understand
that the city may need to adjust
its guidelines after administering this
program so rapidly. But restaurants
should not be fi ned when the goalposts
are still shifting,” said City Councilman
Justin Brannan. “The Open Restaurants
program is supposed to help
restaurants get back in the green —
saddling them with fi nes is the exact
opposite of what we should be doing.”
Brannan is joined by State Senator
Andrew Gounardes in his call for leniency,
which comes on the heels of borough
restaurants being threatened with
heavy fi nes their outdoor dining spaces
no longer complied with the adjustments
made to the original guidelines.
“It is outrageous to cause local restaurants,
already struggling to stay in
business, to have to spend thousands
of extra dollars to comply with changing
guidelines,” Gounardes said. “The
city must forgive any fi nes levied under
this program and commit to clear,
consistent guidelines going forward.”
In recent weeks, restaurants found
out of compliance have been told they
have 24 hours to bring their outdoor dining
areas to code, which some restaurant
owners told Brooklyn Paper cost them
additional hundreds of dollars on top of
the original cost of building the space.
“We spent a couple of thousand dollars
on everything else,” said Antonio
Viscoso, owner of Vesuvio, an Italian
restaurant on Third Avenue in Bay
Ridge. “Then, I think we spent another
$1,200 on umbrellas and weighted
stands.”
Though Viscoso was not hit with
heavy fi nes, he was told the outside
tents he had purchased for outdoor
dining were out of compliance and
after purchasing umbrellas to use instead,
he was told the outdoor tents
would be permitted.
“We had a tent, we had to take the
tent down, then we bought the umbrellas
and after that, we were told the
tents were good,” Viscoso said. “But
we had already given our tents away.”
Overall, the owner said, he is
pleased with the city’s outdoor dining
regulations and how quickly offi -
cials were able to roll them out as the
switch to al-fresco dining provides a
much-needed source of revenue for local
businesses following the monthslong
shutdown.
“I am pretty satisfi ed with it, there
was bit of bouncing back and forth, but
once everything worked out- it’s not
a bad thing,” Viscoso said. “They extended
outdoor dining until October
31st, like everyone else it’s better than
nothing. It’s nice to have people sit, relax
and have a good time again.”
In the meantime, Brannan and
Gounardes urge any local business
owner who receives a fi ne for their outdoor
dining setup to reach out to either
of their offi ces.
“I understand this program is
brand new and was enacted at a frenetic
pace. I also understand the need
to get the guidelines right,” Brannan
said. “Fines should be forgiven, and
if guidelines change yet again, then
business owners need to be given more
time to fi x – otherwise we are hurting
our small businesses and this program
was supposed to help them get through
this tough time.”
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