Outdoor dining in New York City to become permanent — and stricter

2023-08-07T17:18:00-04:00

Outdoor dining along New York City streets, one of the rare pandemic-era accommodations that proved popular, is set to become permanent — but in a way that could drive many restaurant owners to take down their streetside sheds for good.

A New York City Council bill introduced in February that will make outdoor dining structures in roadways permanent through a licensing system was passed last week. The move aims to preserve the popular program while being able to exert more control over it. One stipulation is that roadway structures can only stand from April through November, which would be followed by their deconstruction and storage during the winter. This aspect of the bill has seen blowback from restaurant owners who claim it will be a costly task that also impacts dining options for patrons and the employment of restaurant workers.

Previously on Archinect: Third wave Open Streets: Open for whom?

With the bill, New York City’s Transportation Department is set to establish basic design guidelines for outdoor dining. Restaurants will now be required to pay fees based on their location and square footage. Establishments in historic districts or landmark sites will also need to acquire approval from the city’s Landm...

New York City announces Ya-Ting Liu as its first-ever chief public realm officer

2023-02-17T18:11:00-05:00

In the interest of providing official guardianship for its vast inventory of public spaces, New York City Mayor Eric Adams on Thursday (Feb. 16) announced former transit advocate Ya-Ting Liu will be the city's first-ever public realms officer.

According to the New York Times, her role was created to be a kind of “central point person” for various city agencies and newfound initiatives such as the Open Streets program and outside dining in line with proposals contained in the Making New York for Everyone plan that was developed by the administration and announced in late-December.

“Our city’s public spaces are too important to fall through the cracks of bureaucracy, and now they won’t," Adams said in a press release. "New Yorkers need to know there is one person at City Hall whose number one goal is to improve their quality of life by creating incredible, new public spaces and ensuring the ones we have are clean, equitable, and safe."

Earlier on Archinect: NYC's new planning director...

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Outdoor dining in New York City to become permanent — and stricter

New York City announces Ya-Ting Liu as its first-ever chief public realm officer