City Expands Outdoor Dining Program In Midtown

MIDTOWN MANHATTAN, NY — Open streets in Koreatown and Times Square are set to become pavement oases for nearby restaurants after being included in the city's latest expansion of its outdoor dining initiative.

The city is partnering with the New York Koreatown Association and the Times Square Allaince to allow neighborhood restaurants to set up seating areas on streets that are already part of the city's open streets program that bans cars from certain blocks to create safe spaces for outdoor social distancing.

The Koreatown dining street will be located on West 32nd Street between Fifth Avenue and Broadway and the Times Square dining street will be located on West 46th Street between Sixth and Seventh Avenues, Mayor Bill de Blasio announced Friday.

De Blasio also extended the outdoor dining program through October on Friday. The initiative, which has streamlined the applications process for restaurants and bars to operate on sidewalks and in city streets, was initially set to expire on Labor Day.

"New Yorkers deserve more public space in our ongoing fight against COVID-19, and we’re proud to offer more places to get a safe outdoor meal on the weekends," de Blasio said in a statement. "With two extra months of outdoor dining now approved, restaurants will have more chances than ever to get back on their feet. We’re excited to build on our popular Open Streets and Open Restaurants programs, and we look forward to expanding this idea even further."

More than 9,000 bars and restaurants are currently participating in the city's outdoor dining initiative. Acquiring outdoor cafe permits before the coronavirus pandemic was an arduous and expensive process that required businesses to go through a lengthy public review process.

City Councilmember Keith Powers, who represents much of Midtown, announced plans this week to extend the city's new rules for outdoor dining on a permanent basis. The plan also advocates for policies such as extending New York's eviction moratorium for businesses, providing rent relief and extending emergency rules that allow restaurants to serve to-go alcoholic beverages and cap third-party delivery fees. Powers' plan, called "Open for Business: Saving our Small Businesses Post-COVID" calls on the city to extend these emergency policies to street vendors.