Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani pledged to revive New York City’s waning outdoor dining program, overhaul how the city works with street vendors, and finish a long list of bus- and bike-lane projects that stalled under Mayor Eric Adams. Pedestrian spaces could also see a big new roll-out if Mamdani gets his way, beginning with Time Square and the Financial District.
The city’s small business and transportation industry leaders say they’re excited to work with the administration, adding that curbside businesses could be a huge benefit to them.
An Adams administration restructuring of the pandemic-era Dining Out NYC program requires sidewalk seating sheds to be disassembled and stored from the end of November through March, a stipulation that many see as “cost-prohibitive,” according to Andrew Rigie, executive director of NYC Hospitality Alliance. The number of businesses willing to participate in the program has fallen dramatically as a result – from a peak of nearly 13,000 during the pandemic, down to little more than 1,000 currently. Mamdani said he wants the initiative to return to a year-round program and plans to streamline the application and permitting process.
Brooklyn Councilman Lincoln Restler introduced a bill in October that would achieve Mamdani’s goal. He also wants to help Mamdani ramp up the city’s roll-out of bus and bike lanes and street safety projects.
“This could be very exciting, and it could also be fraught with a lot of pushback,” noted former city traffic commissioner and transportation engineer, Sam Schwartz.
Source: Crain’s New York Business
