Council Member Paladino Questions Elizabeth Adams on Parking Spaces and Rat Infestations

Hi, I'm good, thank you.

Good.

Have you heard that the COVID pandemic is over?

Um, I think what you've heard earlier is that people still face a number of health issues across our city, and that uh having outdoor dining is a great way that people can uh protect their health and their well-being.

Well, I agree with you that it has the ambiance that New York needs, however, the intrusion upon our streets is something that we do not need.

Okay, we acute we actually approved outdoor dining uh in a very reasonable sense, seasonal and on our streets and cafe tables so long or on our uh sidewalks, so long as it does not impede upon pedestrians walking.

Uh the outdoor outdoor dining sheds were a life preserver for many during COVID pandemic.

Nobody will argue that fact with you.

However, the fact that they are an intrusion upon parking spaces and they're actually hurting small businesses by doing so.

There have been alternatives, and you pointed out rooftop uh dining and such, but uh to live along these fallacies that uh we must have outdoor dining uh impeding upon our streets, and that this is uh a lifeline.

No, you're wrong.

It's not so uh I think the way we're managing it right now from uh April until November is within reason, and uh I think you're off base with this.

So one thing we don't need is between bike lanes and everything else, bus lanes, uh we don't need restaurants on our streets any longer.

And they become rat infested in disease.

We don't need it, and a place for the homeless to sleep.

So there's my list of why we do not need outdoor sheds any longer.

Um responding to your point about uh parking spaces, so at its peak, outdoor dining took less than one percent of our city's on-street parking spaces.

Um, and it's current iteration that has actually dropped to less than point one percent.

Um, so it's really not the majority takeover of parking spaces.

I disagree.

Totally.

It those are those are numbers.

Um, and then I will also just say this is a much better use of our public space than one individual's vehicle.

This is the city of New York, Elizabeth.

This isn't Denmark, this isn't Amsterdam.

Uh we live in a city with eight million people, and my husband drives a 52-foot tractor trailer.

Do you have any idea what it's like to navigate the streets of New York City when you're driving a 52-foot tractor trailer trying to make a living?

Any idea?

In the narrow streets of the getting around uh on the subway and walking um and using all of our public transportation?

Um, it's important that we're thinking about how New Yorkers move around.

You're delusional and have space to do so.

Absolutely and totally delusional.

But it doesn't surprise me coming from Transvault.

Thank you very much.

Thank you, Councilmember.

Next, we will hear from thank you, Elizabeth.

Next we'll hear from Michael Cooper Smith and followed by Samir Lavingia.

Uh hi, my name is um actually Michelle Cooper Smith.

You're giving me PTSD from um school.

I'm sorry.

That's okay.

Um okay, so my name is Michelle Cooper Smith.

I'm a Lower East Side resident, a community board member of which I was the liquor licensed chair for many years, and um a bit of a downtown gadfly.