New York City has successfully approved a substantial number of outdoor dining applications, with about 80% of sidewalk setups and a significant portion of roadway dining granted permits. This streamlined approach aims to combat bureaucratic delays, with an emphasis on easing regulations amid prior backlogs of over 3,600 applications. The Department of Transportation is focusing on issuing conditional licenses to facilitate outdoor dining as the city prepares for a busy al fresco dining season, much to the relief of local restaurateurs like Caffe De Martini's owner, Stefano De Martini.
The DOT said it is issuing more conditional licenses to get around the red tape.
Thanks to NYC DOT's efforts to cut red tape from the City Council-established approval process, hundreds of roadway dining set-ups will join the nearly 2,000 sidewalk outdoor dining set-ups to operate April 1, with more approvals on the way.
We were worried in the beginning. We're relieved we got approved for roadside dining," Brooklyn-based Caffe De Martini owner Stefano De Martini told The Post.
City Council leadership made clear early on that they were opposed to the idea of roadway dining completely - and only through negotiation was NYC DOT able to save the program.
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