Hundreds of restaurants will be unable to serve alcohol in their outdoor dining areas this summer due to a delay in permitting.
New York City restaurants hoping to serve alcohol in their outdoor dining areas will likely have to wait months, writes Kevin Duggan in Streetsblog NYC, “due to a gap in the city’s effort to fast-track a backlog in permitting as the opening of season kicks off in mere days, legal experts warned.”
Restaurants won’t be able to serve alcohol if the State Liquor Authority doesn’t accept the city’s “conditional approvals” for outdoor dining. So far, only 42 out of 3,500 applications have received a full DOT license.
According to one attorney who specializes in hospitality, outdoor dining without the option to serve alcohol is “not worthless, but pretty close” as far as revenue goes. The delay could last as long as four months, Duggan adds, impacting restaurants the most during the busy summer season.
Many NYC restaurants have already removed their outdoor dining setups after new city rules were put in place last year that drove up costs for businesses. Outdoor — or al fresco — dining boomed in popularity during the Covid-19 pandemic, when social distancing precautions prompted restaurants around the country to expand outdoor seating options. Yet as early as 2023, some cities began clawing back outdoor and curbside space or enacted prohibitively expensive or onerous regulations.
FULL STORY: ‘Disaster’: Outdoor Dining Snafu Could Ban Alfresco Booze For Months
NYC Outdoor Dining Could Get a Re-Do
The city council is considering making the al fresco dining program year-round to address cost concerns from small businesses.
NYC Approves Only 40 of Over 1,300 of Outdoor Dining Applications
Restaurant owners say they’ve been in limbo for months as city departments point fingers at each other for delays in permit approvals.
DC Extends Application Window for Outdoor Dining Permits
District restaurants will have until the end of November to apply, but businesses with permits in rush hour parking lanes must end operations on July 31.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
Congressman Proposes Bill to Rename DC Metro “Trump Train”
The Make Autorail Great Again Act would withhold federal funding to the system until the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA), rebrands as the Washington Metropolitan Authority for Greater Access (WMAGA).
The Simple Legislative Tool Transforming Vacant Downtowns
In California, Michigan and Georgia, an easy win is bringing dollars — and delight — back to city centers.
The Small South Asian Republic Going all in on EVs
Thanks to one simple policy change less than five years ago, 65% of new cars in this Himalayan country are now electric.
DC Backpedals on Bike Lane Protection, Swaps Barriers for Paint
Citing aesthetic concerns, the city is removing the concrete barriers and flexposts that once separated Arizona Avenue cyclists from motor vehicles.
In These Cities, Most New Housing is Under 441 Square Feet
With loosened restrictions on “micro-housing,” tiny units now make up as much as 66% of newly constructed housing.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Smith Gee Studio
City of Charlotte
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
US High Speed Rail Association
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
Municipality of Princeton (NJ)