Stimulus Means More Funding For NYC's 'Open Streets,' Mayor Says

NEW YORK, NY — Billions of dollars in federal relief money on its way to New York City could mean help for local groups raising thousands to set up "Open Streets" this summer, Mayor Bill de Blasio said this week.

The mayor said Tuesday that funding for the Open Streets program — which is largely paid for by local organizations despite being a city program — will be among the things the city can rethink given a $1.9-trillion stimulus package signed by President Joe Biden last week, which will bring roughly $6 billion in local aid to the city.

"I think now we have a chance to reevaluate because of the stimulus funding and see if there's some ways we can provide more support," de Blasio said when asked by Streetsblog's Gersh Kuntzman about funding for the program.

"...I want to make sure that Open Streets reach every kind of community and that the financial realities of community groups don't hold them back from being able to participate."

Kuntzman pointed out that leaving funding to local fundraisers, as has been the case so far, might give wealthy neighborhoods the ability to run Open Streets while leaving lower-income areas out of the program.

The city's Open Streets program, and later its Open Streets: Restaurants program, were put in place last year to help New Yorkers social distance and enjoy outdoor dining during the coronavirus crisis. The city made the program permanent in the fall, though many Open Streets have decided to open only during warmer-weather months.

De Blasio's promise for more funding comes after several local groups have already taken it upon themselves to raise the thousands of dollars needed to close down, monitor and staff the Open Streets.

The Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, which runs the popular outdoor dining program on Vanderbilt Avenue, had raised more than $20,000 as of Tuesday, though a portion of the money will go toward an events program it plans to bring to the street.

Park Slope's Fifth Avenue Business Improvement District already opened up a portion of its streets last weekend as it raises $50,000 to fully support the program.

Both groups said they wouldn't have been able to bring back the Open Streets without the fundraisers.

In East Harlem, the leader of a nonprofit that set up two popular Open Streets last summer said city financing will be essential in keeping it going this year.

“It’s great that DOT and the Council were able to come up with this answer to covid,” said Carey King, director of Uptown Grand Central, which managed Open Streets on Pleasant Avenue and East 101st Street. “But we’re not going to be able to keep it going much longer without some dedicated city support.”

The Pleasant Avenue program was staffed mostly by volunteers who grew weary after just a few weeks of work, King said. Now, she’s fundraising and applying for grants in hopes of hiring paid staff for this summer.

King pointed to existing city funding programs, like the DOT Plaza Program, that could help.

The Department of Transportation said public space programs have historically been able to help out Open Street partners. The agency is still exploring the role the city will play in financing the Open Streets this year, though.

"The pandemic has greatly impacted the City’s budget, but we are hopeful that there will be ways for us to support some partners again directly in 2021," a spokesperson told Patch. "In addition, we have been working to point partners to grant opportunities."

That work also includes finding new opportunities to close down blocks throughout the city and evaluating its existing Open Streets. DOT has been holding a series of workshops about some of its most popular Open Streets.

"As we continue to develop Open Streets, we are committed to identifying opportunities across the city for the program to include as many communities as possible, especially those hardest hit by the COVID-19 pandemic," the spokesperson said.

Patch reporters Nick Garber and Matt Troutman contributed.