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Issues with clearance requirements and measurements for outdoor dining
0:57:03
·
104 sec
Rob Bookman explains the complexities and challenges introduced by new clearance requirements and measurement methods for outdoor dining spaces. He contrasts the new system with the previous, simpler approach.
- Previous system used a straightforward '50% of sidewalk width or 8 feet, whichever was greater' rule
- New system involves a complicated color-coded map with varying clearance requirements (8, 10, or 12 feet) depending on the street
- Changes in measurement methods have led to restaurants having to shrink their sidewalk cafes
- New rules have made the process more confusing and potentially unaffordable for some businesses
Rob Bookman
0:57:03
The other important thing is the clearances.
0:57:06
The people have touched on it.
0:57:08
For forty years, the clearances on sidewalk cafes was very simple.
0:57:11
You didn't need to be a lawyer to understand it.
0:57:14
50% of the sidewalk width or eight feet, whichever was greater.
0:57:18
Everybody could figure out right away how much space they can occupy for their cafe, and they all know what the size tables and chairs are.
0:57:24
They could pretty much figure it out before they even applied.
0:57:27
DOT came up with a very complicated map where every street in the city was color coded.
0:57:34
And you now now it wasn't eight feet or 50% of the sidewalk.
0:57:39
It was eight feet or 10 feet or 12 feet depending on which street you are on this color coded map.
0:57:45
And then the way they measured the the the clearances changed dramatically.
0:57:49
Consumer affairs from the edge of the cafe to the curb.
0:57:51
You know, here and there, you know, some other you know, it was a fire hydrant, you measure the fire hydrant.
0:57:55
They had all kinds of measurements to the complicated zone.
0:57:59
Anything in the in the zone, you're measuring to that.
0:58:01
The bottom line is, it would not only made it more complicated, but that hearing from mister Guarino and, you know, and and from, Tom Silvia's is restaurants that had approved sidewalk cafes under these old rules for decades with no community problems, no passage problems on the sidewalk, renewed every two, four years, all of a sudden had to shrink their sidewalk cafes and change the dot change the not only shrink the number of tables and chairs, but rather than having a nice clean line, they had to go in and out now, in and out, you know, to because of these crazy ways they decided to do clearances.
0:58:35
That's something that's in their rules that that has to change because that made it so confusing and it made it so unaffordable for some people to lose those tables and chairs that they just didn't apply.
0:58:43
So you're really seeing the decimation in the boroughs.
Andrew Rigie
0:58:46
Yep.