New York City’s popular COVID-era outdoor restaurant seatings have been mpopular outdoor dining program permanent. Lawmakers approved the measure by a vote of 43 to 6 with just one abstention during a meeting of the full Council on Thursday. “As our city seeks to recover, this zoning change is the first step in creating a permanent program thade a permanent affair, but the City Council will trim back rules that allowed for some controversial “shed” setups.
The New York City Council easily approved legislation that makes the city’s outdoor dining program permanent. Lawmakers approved the measure by a vote of 43 to 6 with just one abstention during a meeting of the full Council on Thursday. “As our city seeks to recover, this zoning change is the first 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,” said Council Speaker Adrienne Adams (D-Queens).
Source: NY Post (James Keivom)
This being said, the new legislation will trim back rules that allowed for some controversial “shed” setups. Officials at the Department of Transportation, which administers the program, say the changes to the rules will get rid of many sheds that were specifically complained about by citizens and critics of the program. As it stands, the outdoor structures many restaurants built were poorly constructed and were a constant source of crowd noise, garbage and rodents.
The no votes were cast by Councilmembers James Gennaro (D-Queens), Robert Holden (D-Queens), Ari Kagan (D-Brooklyn), Darlene Mealy (D-Brooklyn), Inna Vernikov (R-Brooklyn), and Kalman Yeger (D-Brooklyn).
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