As the NYC Hospitality Alliance informed you, the City of New York is developing the permanent Open Restaurants, outdoor dining program, which will differ from the temporary, emergency COVID-19 program, but will have similar characteristics. This email includes an action request for businesses in certain Community Board districts, so please see below. What’s the latest on the future of outdoor dining? The first procedural step in creating the permanent Open Restaurants program requires a proposed “text amendment” to the city’s “zoning resolution” that would remove geographic limitations of where outdoor dining can occur, and from which the permanent program can be created that will unify the sidewalk and roadway dining. Over the next couple of months, Community Board’s around the city will review, discuss, and submit comments on the proposed text amendment. Click here to learn more. What can you do to support the future of outdoor dining? When the Community Board in the district where you operate your restaurants and bars are located hold their meeting to review the proposed text amendment, it is highly recommended that you attend the meeting and speak in support of the text amendment. They need to hear that you and others support permanent outdoor dining. BELOW YOU WILL FIND A LIST OF UPCOMING COMMUNITY BOARD MEETINGS WITH LINKS TO REGISTER TO SPEAK. IS YOUR COMMUNITY BOARD LISTED? What should you expect at the Community Board meeting? While each Community Board operates a little differently, we expect there will be a presentation on the text amendment. After the presentation, members of the Community Board usually speak and then there will be an opportunity for people who registered (that’s you!) to speak for 1-2 minutes. During your time to speak, you should: - Introduce yourself and business.
- Explain why outdoor dining has been so important for the recovery of your business, employees, our collective hospitality industry, and city.
- Explain why it’s so important to support this text amendment so the city can develop an improved and streamlined permanent outdoor dining program to support your business and our city for many years to come.
Speak personally and from the heart – you don’t need to speak about the procedural or regulatory aspects of the proposal. Members of the Community Board might ask you questions. We recommend you email the Community Board (contact information is below) and ask what time the Open Restaurants text amendment presentation is on the agenda so you can arrive close to that time. Community Boards are transitioning back to in-person meetings, so a lot is in flux, and we HIGHLY recommend you contact them to confirm the following, plus any additional information they can provide you: - The Open Restaurants text amendment presentation is on the agenda for the meeting listed below.
- What time the item is on the agenda / what time you should arrive.
- Do you have to pre-register to speak and must you attend in-person to speak or is there still a virtual option.
- Please email the NYC Hospitality Alliance at info@thenycalliance.org if you intend on speaking at a Community Board meeting.
Find your upcoming Community Board meeting: | 
