Keeping NYC al fresco
City Council gives thumbs up to permanent outdoor dining
BY ETHAN STARK-MILLER
The City Council on Feb.
24 took its fi rst step in
making the outdoor dining
program established soon
after the start of the coronavirus
pandemic permanent, by
passing zoning changes that’ll
allow the practice in more
parts of the city.
Council Speaker Adrienne
Adams said the program –
which then-Mayor Bill de Blasio
set up through an executive order
nearly two years ago – has
been a lifeline for restaurants
trying to stay afl oat during the
worst days of the pandemic.
“As our city seeks to recover,
this zoning change is the fi rst
step in creating a permanent
program that is better organized
and regulated, more equitable,
and balances the health
of our restaurants with the
needs of local neighborhoods,”
Adams said.
Councilman Rafael Salamanca
Jr. (D – Bronx), who chairs
the council’s land use committee,
emphasized the importance
of using community input in the
bill writing process.
“Now that we have approved
the zoning changes that will
pave the way for a permanent
outdoor dining program, we
must use the valuable feedback
BUSINESS
City Councilman Rafael Salamanca, who chairs the council’s Land Use Committee.
we received from New Yorkers
at our Land Use hearing to
craft legislation that balances
the needs of all stakeholders,”
Salamanca Jr. said.
Under current city law, restaurants
are only permitted
to take up city street space for
outdoor dining in areas that are
specifi cally zoned for it – mostly
in Manhattan. The temporary
WILLIAM ALATRISTE/NEWYORK CITY COUNCIL
program lifted these restrictions
and allowed restaurants to use
sidewalks and parking space for
outdoor dining.
While the zoning change
passed the council with a strong
majority, many members who
voted in favor of it expressed
the need to make sure any permanent
program has far stricter
regulations than the temporary
one. For instance, Councilman
Christopher Marte (D – Manhattan)
said – with an absence
of any real regulations – many
outdoor structures erected under
the temporary program
have caused many unintended
problems. Marte recounted
seeing some of these issues this
morning, while touring his own
district with Councilwoman
Marjorie Velázquez (D – Bronx).
“We saw fi ve feet tall piles of
trash,” Marte said. “Dead rats.
Abandoned and broken sheds.
Cars and bikes not being able to
go down the street. And puddles
of sludge. We think it’s sludge,
might be worse. What we’ve
seen these past two years is that
the temporary program has not
worked. There’s been almost no
enforcement or oversight.”
Six council members, however,
see issues with the outdoor
dining program they don’t
think can be resolved through
the legislative process and voted
against the change. One of those
council members was Darlene
Mealy (D – Brooklyn), who said
she’s against making outdoor
dining permanent mainly because
it’s reducing the number
of available parking spots.
“On my way coming here, I
just saw one of the outdoor restaurants,
they have clothes for
sale and that’s parking,” Mealy
said. “And we’re not thinking
about the people who are practically
sleeping in their cars,
because it’s no parking.”
But Andrew Rigie, executive
director of the NYC Hospitality
Alliance, was quick to celebrate
the move in a release.
“We commend the City Council
for approving the Open Restaurants
text amendment,” Rigie
said, “which creates a clean slate
to determine all of the details
of a permanent outdoor dining
program and expands where
sidewalk cafes can be located
to provide a more equitable alfresco
dining program to all
neighborhoods throughout the
fi ve boroughs.”
Adams debuts economic recovery
team, eyes revitalizing Midtown
BY ETHAN STARK-MILLER
Standing at the Brooklyn
Navy Yard, Mayor
Eric Adams on Feb. 23
announced several new appointments
to his economic
development team, with an
eye turned toward revitalizing
Midtown Manhattan coming
out of the pandemic.
“We need to bring together
all of the entities in our city
– education, employment, infrastructure,
housing – what
is New York now post-COVID?”
Adams said. “We have
not done that. And we can’t
stumble into it. And so, if
there’s going to be a hybrid
model, we need to not stumble
into that hybrid model,
we need to be clear on that
model. Who we were pre-
COVID is not who we are
post-COVID.”
In response to a reporter’s
question, the mayor made it
clear that while hybrid models
will likely be the new
normal, the city cannot fully
abandon in-person work. This
is especially important, Adams
said, because moving to
an entirely work-from-home
model could negatively impact
low-wage workers.
“You can’t stay home in
your pajamas all day,” Adams
said. “That is not who
we are as a city. You need to
be out cross-pollinating ideas,
interacting with humans. It
is crucial, we’re social creatures.
And we must socialize
to get the energy that we need
as a city.”
To do this, Adams charged
his economic development
team with looking at how
Midtown and the city’s other
central business districts can
be reimagined for a post-pandemic
era. The mayor said this
SCREENSHOT
Mayor Eric Adams at his
Feb. 23 announcement.
could include possibly rezoning
these areas, so traditional
offi ce buildings could also accommodate
housing space.
“Post 911, we changed the
zoning and changed the ways
we could do housing and offi
ce space and I think we
should be open to do so,” Adams
said. “Whatever it takes
to get people back into our
business districts. And if it
means a conversion to housing,
we need to think about
those things and get it done in
a real way.”
Additionally, the mayor said
large companies downsizing
their offi ce footprints could
provide an opportunity for
smaller outfi ts to get Midtown
offi ces without having to rent
an entire fl oor.
To lead this effort, Adams
appointed his Deputy Mayor
for Economic and Workforce
Development Maria Torres-
Springer as the head of his
economic development team.
16 March 3, 2022 Schneps Media