Upper East Side Board Wants Your Thoughts On Outdoor Restaurants

UPPER EAST SIDE, NY — An Upper East Side community board is asking residents to share their opinions about the Open Restaurants program as the city seeks to make it permanent.

Community Board 8 put out the call on Friday, weeks before the Sept. 2 meeting that will be devoted to the subject. While members of the public can speak at that meeting, time will be limited, so the board is suggesting that people submit written testimony instead.

Open Restaurants kicked off last year as a temporary pandemic program, allowing bars and restaurants to add seating on the sidewalk or in the street to allow customers to dine outdoors, despite the pandemic. It proved stunningly popular, transforming thoroughfares across the city into European-style piazzas.

Community Board 8's meeting comes after the city proposed making Open Restaurants permanent by adding a citywide amendment to the zoning code. One by one, every board in the city will get to consider the proposal before it heads to the borough presidents, and later to the City Council.

Despite its popularity, some residents have called on the city to scale back the program or revise it going forward to make more space for pedestrians, especially the elderly and those with disabilities.

Of the handful of comments that had already been submitted to Community Board 8 by Friday afternoon, most were in favor of keeping the program.

Submit a comment to Community Board 8 about Open Restaurants here.