Michelle Cooper Smith Testimony: Lower East Side Resident
Michelle Cooper Smith, a Lower East Side resident and former community board member, testifies via Zoom that the permanent application process is too onerous and confusing for small business owners.
So I just say this to make it clear that I am um very well versed in what's happening with the permanent outdoor dining program.
Um, but I'm here to testify on my own um behalf, not on my community board's behalf.
Um I'm a raving fan of outdoor dining.
Um I still remember the July 4th weekend in 2020 when the emergency program started and how freeing it was to finally have a uh safe space to socialize with people after months of sadness and darkness.
Um, and it gave me a vision of the future where we could have fewer private vehicles using our private curbs.
Um, but I have to say that the new uh permanent process is far too onerous and frankly confusing.
Um I can't tell you how many business owners I've talked to in my neighborhood who like reasonably can't tell a difference between open streets and roadway um have uh roadway dining and silo cafes, and why are there different you know, month uh months that each operate in and whose approval for whom?
Um, and so I think that this should really be simplified.
Um, as others have said before, that roadway dining should be all year long, just like sidewalk cafe is like let's just make it much easier to understand.
Um, and uh also I'll echo what was said earlier about how difficult the process is for um once they recognize the difference between the programs, how difficult the process actually is.
CB notice, CB hearings where they get unnecessarily beat to death on hours and operations, DOT SLA, it's just all too much.
Um, I agree with uh Councilmember O say that the admins seem to have designed the program to effectively kill it.
So it needs to be fixed by the council to be more straightforward for applicants and provide um more outdoor dining for New York City residents.
And um, I think that the council should remove the provision that allows sidewalk cafes to be called up for a full council vote because as we all know, because of the zoning text amendment, all of these sidewalk cafes are now as of right, so long as they that DOTs are clean.
Your time is expired.
And I think um Chair Menon for abstaining on the vote to deny Ladiv's sidewalk cafe.
Have a great day, thank you.
Thank you.
Next, we'll hear from Simiya Lavingia.
Hi, my name is Samila Wingia.
I'm the sorry, I'm on my community board.