Queens Eagle
Permanent al fresco dining is now one step closer to becoming a reality in Queens and the rest of the city after the City Council approved a bill amending the city’s zoning laws Thursday.
While the council passed a text amendment that eliminates zoning restrictions for sidewalk cafes throughout the five boroughs, just how the city’s permanent outdoor dining program will ultimately look is still very much up for debate.
City legislators passed the text amendment 43 to 6, with one member abstaining. In Queens, Councilmembers James Gennaro and Robert Holden voted against the amendment, which only sets the table for a permanent outdoor dining program but doesn’t actually create one. All other Queens councilmembers voted in support of the amendment.
“This new local law will be kind of too broad in the sense that it’s one size fits all,” Gennaro told the Eagle. “Will it allow for the kind of granularity that you need to regulate something like this? My hunch is no, it won't.”
“I hope that I’m wrong,” he added. “Everyone has good intentions here but I’m wary.”
The appetite for the text amendment, which first made its way through community boards and borough boards throughout the city, has been mild – its strongest support has been in the City Council. Still, nearly every councilmember who spoke in support of the text amendment Thursday also expressed reservations.
“This program born of pandemic necessity has been a gift to our city in many ways. It was an economic lifeline and still is to many of our small businesses and it has now fundamentally changed how many dining establishments operate, and how New Yorkers utilize their public spaces,” said Brooklyn Councilmember Chi Ossé. “However, this program needs to ensure that our streets are for the people and not the rats. The rodent population growth has been undeniable and is clearly linked to outdoor dining.”
The sentiment was repeated by a number of councilmembers, including Queens Councilmember Linda Lee, who represents portions of Bayside Hills, Bellerose, Douglaston, Floral Park, Fresh Meadows, Glen Oaks, Hollis, Hollis Hills, Holliswood, Little Neck, New Hyde Park, Oakland Gardens and Queens Village.
26 comments:
The shanties are a disaster.
The bike lanes are a disaster.
The lawlessness is a disaster.
The schools are a disaster.
The subways are a disaster.
And the Democrats are responsible for all of it.
The TA zealots say drivers don't pay rent to park their cars in the street. What is their position on this?
Welcome to New Shanty City, brought to you by the cracka on crack.
First anon, you forgot public housing, homeless services, and just about every slice of infrastructure imaginable. The city can't manage anything right, and voters keep giving them cart blanche to spend more. Sad.
The City Council is just making this city look shittier than ever before.
The Rats and the homeless will love their new homes. Way to Go!!!
The TA zealots/Bicycle Nazis say a lot of bullshit
The DOT has no say on this?
You need to literally change lanes and drive around these obstructive shitboxes.
They are road hazards, sometimes you get a real surprise going around them with a pedestrian head on doing the same thing.
Many cases 2 lane 2 way traffic becomes single lane road rage traffic.
Are all on this City Council retarded, paid off or stockholders in electric car & scooters?
Most important, Many of these shit shanty's and taco boxes are on corners surrounded by flower pots and junk. Now, If I cant make a turn with a Jeep Gladiator how is a firetruck ?
Bike Lanes, Puerto Rico shanty's on Roadways, $5 gasoline. It seems these bastards want people to give up automobiles so bad they are willing to put lives in danger. Well fuck the City Council and the communists, I'm keeping my stuff. Time to buy some 1080P dashcams recorders to protect myself--- and those aint cheap.
-Joe
What is their position on this?
On their knees with their mouths open.
TA zealots are usually (well most of them) public system educated dummys & dip shits who don't own, cant afford cars themselves
Drivers do pay rent, "use of roadways" is part of the $200 or so bi-annual registrations fees. I have 4 vehicles it cost me near $1000 a year in fees. 3 of them are enclosed garaged. Only one can be driven or parked on the street at a time I should get discounts and exemptions but nope, nothing. Only increasing fees, more fees and shit from the bike people and greenheads.
I say tell it to the mayor who travels with 6-12 huge SUVs for his special friends, security and personal press people. Bloomberg rode the subway or yellow cab with 2 cops.
-Joe
Every city run by Democrats is like this. What were you expecting?
Stop crying. It's free housing for the indentured servant and share cropper program hizzoner is rolling out for the white folk. Jeez, don't you Kweens Kounty Kommies recognize progress when you see it? Get in the back of the bus.
Conceptually, the idea of outdoor dining in nicely maintained sheds is excellent. It's civilized. It's an enjoyable way to dine in the right weather. It's just what a first world city should have.
Sadly, NYC is a third-world city, and like everything else, this otherwise good idea turns to total crap because it can't be properly maintained or enforced.
Personally, I don't like dining outdoors and always take an indoor option if available, but it was good during the (totally pointless) lockdowns, and I did my part supporting NYC restaurants, even eating outside in sub-freezing weather to help my favorite joints in the worst phases.
@"Drivers do pay rent, "use of roadways" is part of the $200 or so bi-annual registrations fees"
What a joke. $100/year pays for nothing. @"Crazy Joe", all you talk is complete trash and nonsense that even a second grader could figure out. Even @"Angry Zoe" could tell you that $100 pays for didley squat.
Your roads and your free car storage are subsidized by the taxpayers. Stop free loading off us working people you commie POS.
Your $100 won't even buy a few traffic cones.
This is why public referendum is necessary, but seldom employed. Remember how former Mayor Bloomberg dismissed two former public referendum votes in favor of term limits that We, the People voted on (TWICE: once in 1996, and a second unnecessary vote in the early 2000s). It wasn't necessary to waste ungodly sums of taxpayer money to hold a second round of votes that had already adopted term limits the FIRST time, both of which were ignored and overridden by Quinn, who granted King ('The law is the law') Bloomberg's request to serve an illegal third term in exchange for the passing of the mayoral septer from Bloomberg to anoint and indulge Quinn's absurd and audacious whimsy.
It doesn't matter who is publicly appointed to New York City's DemonRat entrenched City Council (with the exception of Repuglicrat Joann Ariola, the bloody red stain of QUEENS County that simply won't rub out). The entire cabal of criminally insane, corporate obedient-hypnotized pols have more pull than ALL of the collective chapters of organized crime worldwide——COMBINED: Mob bosses today (the remnants thereof) couldn't even rival the systemic graft, much less surpass, ALL of those city council Monetary Locusts, ALL of whom continually rake in their graft! You can bet on it with guaranted winning odds (like the House wins of all gambling mills, including the Racino)——every single time!
The shanties and free parking freeloaders should pay the market rate per sq. ft. for the privilege. If freeloaders like Joe can’t afford it, then sell a few cars or shut down your shack.
Anon # 1, Yes, the Democrats are responsible for all of it. You forgot to mention that it is also intentional. Commies are Commies.
"Your $100 won't even buy a few traffic cones"
Where did Joe say $100 ?
You have a serious comprehensive reading problem or YOUR the commie POS attempting to steer the narrative to steer it to fit your needs. Typical communist tactics they teach in College these days.
Your math sucks also, 4 vehicles X $100 year each is $400.
Glad to see you woke people are really going crazy.
READERS NOTE: This is evidence on how the woke and activists work.
1-Join a discussion they don't like.
2-Steer the narrative to start arguments in order to destroy the speech or writings they don't like. They want forum and attention for propaganda speech
Colleges are starting to demand students pass a class on this, they call it Argumentative Essay, speech and writing. (always packaged as friendly and harmless sounding) The course focuses on how to search & pick on topics, words, switch things around then keep on hitting and hitting.
I remember the woke trolls managed to get a post censored and pulled a week or two ago by changing the narrative and acting offended.
Control is what they want so its more fun to starve and not feed them.
Let them go friggan nuts!!
Communists, Socialists, Racists deserve no voice nor forum
@The shanties and free parking freeloaders should pay the market rate per sq. ft. for the privilege. If freeloaders like Joe can’t afford it, then sell a few cars or shut down your shack.
The free road hijackers should be e-rocketed to the Moon pronto.
Useless eaters anyway.
@Your $100 won't even buy a few traffic cones.
Is plenty for your subsidized one week fentanyl supply, TA commie.
Maybe is even enough to share some with your comrades.
Angry Zoe" could tell you that $100 pays for didley squat
What the hell are you talking about, your stupid.
Sounds like you have a personal problem also.
https://www.statista.com/statistics/196010/total-number-of-registered-automobiles-in-the-us-by-state/
New York: 4,232,748 private registered car fees X 200 = $846,549,600 dollars.
To add that's just for cars not including all the more expensive commercial registration vehicles like trucks and vans clogging the streets.
That's near a Billion dollars, from cars alone yet cant even fix potholes.
My small Celica GT cost around $200 to register and only weighs 3500 pounds according to DMV. ---Another $44 for license plates, I was in shock and was planning a nice lunch till I left DMV near broke ass.
You dam bike people got your nice paved flat bike lanes with my money long before the recent federal infrastructure funding came.
Car owners are getting a bad deal as it its, I paid for more then my street parking. Its the least compensation owed to me
-Zoë
Well put Zoe ! Thanks...
NYC Sewer Shanties; one more reason not to visit your rat infested liberal left wing crap hole.
@"Angry Zoe"
Let's say the average rental cost per sq. ft. in Queens is $31/sq.ft per year approx. The average car would take up 180 sq. ft. of space. So the average car owner should at least pay $5,580 per year for street parking alone.
Unless your Celica is a "Hot Wheels" toy you bought in CVS, you are free loading off taxpayers like me. Crazy Joe and yourself can discuss that at your next KKK meeting.
That's the cost to rent inside space you don't, not a slice of asphalt outside.
cost per sq. ft. in Queens is $31/sq.ft per year approx.
The only reason I'm replying is because this blog is primarily for learning, spreading word and sharing information.
Lesson 1:
Gutters with all the rats, dogshit, puke and piss are not tax doled as lots, residential or commercial property.
The only exception to this would be private owned streets such as Sylvan Terrace, in Washington Heights, streets in the village (two of NYC’s hundred or so privately-owned streets) I know the from when I was a bike courier.
Boy are you stupid !!
--Must be from Georgia or West Bumble'fk Ohio, GO HOME ALREADY. Transplant or born here fact is you clearly know nothing about New York City culture, history or its real hard working class residents. And that's generations of them !!!
-Zoë
Outdoor dining is lovely if you're on the Via Veneto in Rome or a plaza in the Plaka in Athens...
A half assed blue tarp sheathed shed cobbled out of rejected 2x3's from home depot sitting in a bum-urine soaked gutter illuminated by an illegal extension cord tapped into a streetlight is like "dining" in the worst favela in Rio DeJaneiro minus the warm weather and delectable Brazilian babes
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