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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Norma Cote, Member of the Public, on Outdoor Dining Program Concerns
3:15:48
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139 sec
Norma Cote, a member of the public, provides testimony expressing concerns about the outdoor dining program in New York City. She highlights issues with restaurant compliance, enforcement, and the impact on local neighborhoods and businesses.
- Criticizes restaurants for ignoring rules and lack of effective enforcement by the Department of Transportation
- Expresses concern about the takeover of sidewalks by restaurants, driving out local retail businesses and increasing population density
- Calls for stricter enforcement of regulations, consideration of establishment track records for renewals, and protection against indiscriminate siting of outdoor establishments in residential areas
Norma Cote
3:15:48
My name my name is Norma Cote.
3:15:51
Excuse me.
3:15:53
I'm a member of the public.
3:15:55
I have patronized outdoor dining establishments, and I am affected by them predominantly negatively.
3:16:06
The, I've heard the representatives of the industry complain about clearances and about, clearances that that reduce the size of their operations.
3:16:18
I think it's a good thing that we have regulations that limit the sizes of operations beyond what we've had so far.
3:16:26
We have in many places a a takeover of the sidewalks by by restaurants that largely ignore the rules anyway.
3:16:37
You may write your your rules but they they don't ignore them, they don't abide by them.
3:16:43
They're egregious, notorious, repeat scofflaws when it comes to compliance with the rules and we get no effective enforcement by the Department of Transportation.
3:16:56
This problem has exacerbated the super saturation of restaurants in some areas.
3:17:04
What happens when you you get small businesses, retail shops that are now taken over by by restaurants is that you drive out the the local businesses that serve the needs of the neighborhood and you increase the population density there, making sidewalks impassable in some areas.
3:17:25
We desperately need, we need enforcement of the reasonable regulations that are now in place that restrict the size and the operations of Sidewalk Cafes and also we need DOT to take into account the track record of establishments that come up for renewal or for permanent licenses now.
3:17:49
And and finally, we need some protection against the indiscriminate sighting of outdoor establishments that used to be protected by the zoning law limiting limiting in residential spaces.
3:18:03
Now, with indiscriminate sighting, no area is safe.