Speaker Menin says she will revive year-round outdoor dining program | amNewYork

"We will finally fix the city's outdoor dining program to make it year-round and reduce the regulatory burdens for restaurants,"

"These measures will help small businesses survive and adapt by clearing up policies of the past that can lead to closures and job loss."

Julie Menin intends to reform the seasonal outdoor dining program established in 2023 and convert it into a year-round program while reducing regulatory burdens on restaurants. The planned reform would effectively replace the current program through a bill tied to Lincoln Restler that would reverse a change barring roadside dining sheds on city streets during December through March. The seasonal restrictions and upfront fees caused full applicants to drop to about 400, with another 2,600 receiving conditional approval, down from roughly 8,000 at the pandemic peak. Menin frames the reforms as necessary to help small businesses avoid closures and job losses.

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