Dear Mayor Adams, Speaker Adams, and Councilmember Velazquez,
As advocates for a successful permanent Open Restaurants program, we are concerned about the proposal to place the program’s oversight within the NYC Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP). We urge you to ensure the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT) continues to manage the program. We also encourage you to defer detailed decisions to rulemaking so that the program can iterate and evolve as we learn more about what works and what doesn’t in different communities across our diverse city.
Prior to the pandemic, around 1,200 restaurants, largely located in Manhattan, participated in the Sidewalk Cafe program. Since 2020, under the NYC Department of Transportation (DOT), participation in outdoor dining has expanded ten-fold, serving over 12,000 businesses including both roadway and sidewalk dining. Half of these establishments are now outside of Manhattan. Under DOT’s stewardship, the popularity of this program has reshaped our right-of-way for the better.
We can do even more to integrate restaurants into the public realm, but only if we recognize that Open Restaurants is more than just a business program. This starts with making sure the program continues to be managed by DOT, which is the only agency capable of integrating Open Restaurants into a broader holistic vision for repurposing the right-of-way. What could this look like? Strategically investing in shared infrastructure on a “restaurant row;” incentivizing the creation of community parklets in areas with limited open space; connecting basement and upper floor restaurants with opportunities to engage in the public realm.
More than just a business recovery program, Open Restaurants has shown that repurposing the curb lane benefits entire communities. Restaurants offered public programming in areas where open space was limited, used their structures to help neighborhood groups facilitate community activities, and gave artists an opportunity to bring local culture to the streets. Many even used their roadway space to create communal seating in the curb lane - a critical need given that over 80% of sidewalks citywide are less than 12’ wide, making it difficult to integrate sidewalk seating with accessible pedestrian flow.
There are key practical reasons why DOT should continue to oversee the program. DOT already manages the multitude of interagency concerns related to design, safety, and connectivity in the right-of-way. This will help the agency develop the right education and training material for businesses, and work with participants to cure violations instead of defaulting to punitive measures. In addition, DOT’s $1.4 billion budget is over twenty times that of DCWP, enabling the agency to dedicate more resources to facilitating a successful program. This includes creating and sourcing a standardized and affordable kit-of-parts to guarantee universal accessibility for outdoor dining - including safety barriers, platforms or ramps, canopies, and furniture. Capacity at DOT has also grown during the significant expansion of outdoor dining during the emergency program, while DCWP staff no longer have any in-house expertise or staffing numbers to handle the expanded program.
The Open Restaurants program is tremendously popular, and while there are challenges to overcome, including the challenge of responding to bad actors, that is not a reason to stop re-imagining our curb lane. We stand ready to work with you to help DOT develop and implement a successful program that improves our quality of life and expands public space for all New Yorkers to enjoy.
Sincerely,
Maulin Mehta
Alfresco NYC Coalition
Kate Slevin
Executive Vice President, Regional Plan Association
Matthew Clarke
Executive Director, Design Trust for Public Space
Renae Reynolds
Executive Director, Tri-State Transportation Campaign
Sara Lind
Chief Strategy Officer, Open Plans
Benjamin Prosky
Executive Director, American Institute of Architects New York
Lisa Sorin
President, The New Bronx Chamber of Commerce
Jessica Walker
President & CEO, Manhattan Chamber of Commerce
Randy Peers
President & CEO, Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Thomas J. Grech
President & CEO, Queens Chamber of Commerce
Linda Baran
President & CEO, Staten Island Chamber of Commerce
Kelly Carroll
Executive Director, Atlantic Avenue Business Improvement District
Samara Karasyk
President & CEO, Hudson Square Business Improvement District
Dirk McCall de Palomá
Executive Director, Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District
Cordelia Persen
Executive Director, NoHo Business Improvement District
Kate Chura
Executive Director, Montague St Business Improvement District
Jennifer Falk
Executive Director, Union Square Partnership
Barbara Blair
President, Garment District Alliance
Priscilla Marco
President, Van Duzer Street Civic Association/Stapleton Saturdays- an award winning Open Streets program
Leslie Davol
Executive Director, Street Lab
Natalie Freihon
Principal, Strange Bird Hospitality
Mike Lydon
Principal, Street Plans
Lou Martins
General Manager, bistro Casa Azul
Eric McClure
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Director, Design Advocates
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Peter Philis
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Janette Sadik-Khan
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Maria G. Gonzalez Arrieta
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Bianka Cypriano
Producer, Salsa Stories
Christian Nunez
Cafe Nunez owner
Romeo Regalli
Ras Plant Based Chef/Owner
Sara Conklin, Owner
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Vanessa Ceballos
Firefly New York, Sunnyside - Queens / Owner
Chad Purkey, Executive Director
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Regina Myer
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Majora Carter
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Aresh Javadi
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NYU
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Matthew Anderson
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Erika Farber
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Bill Tsapalas
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Kevol Graham
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Colin Clarke
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Victor Chan
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Leslie A. Ramos
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Vincent Formanes
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