Overview
- Menin’s plan would remove the December–March restriction on curbside dining, allow larger roadway setups, and streamline approvals for sidewalk and roadway cafés.
- The package under discussion includes cutting or eliminating revocable consent fees and a possible shift in program oversight from the Department of Transportation to the Department of Consumer and Worker Protection.
- Mayor Zohran Mamdani endorsed a return to year-round outdoor dining, and Council Majority Leader Shaun Abreu said he plans a hearing on the legislation by the end of the month.
- Participation plunged under the 2023 rules: DOT reported 849 roadway sheds and 1,973 sidewalk setups at season’s end, with only about 400 full approvals last year as thousands operated on conditional permits.
- Industry groups back the overhaul as relief from high costs, while community boards and residents cite parking, noise, sanitation, and over-saturation concerns that Menin says she intends to address.