New York's Outdoor Dining Program Stays Controversial, Likely to Evolve

"Outdoor sheds, igloos and heated cabanas — hallmarks of New York City’s pandemic-era restaurant scene — may soon be a thing of the past," write Alicia Diaz and Kate Krader in the provocative lede to a Bloomberg CityLab story about the future of New York City's outdoor dining program.

While the city declared its outdoor dining program, known as the Open Restaurants Program, permanent back in September 2020, the city is still searching for a balance after "complaints over trash, rats, noise and fewer parking spaces have incited a push for a more regulated approach to the outdoor structures," according to Diaz and Krader.

Now, the city wants to move away from the permanent encampments of shipping containers or plywood shacks with sliding doors and heating systems, potentially toward a more European streetscape of bistro tables and colorful umbrellas that can be removed at closing time. The idea is to find a compromise between cultivating a vibrant hospitality industry, while keeping residents happy.

Changes could be coming in 2023, according to the article. "[T]he City Council envisions a permanent program that would expand access to sidewalk dining and allow many of the businesses approved under the pandemic emergency measures included in the original Open Restaurants Program to reapply for permits, according to a zoning amendment approved in February," according to the article.

More details on the political and economic debate about the city's outdoor dining program are included in the source article below.