Community Board 2 issues mixed advisory recommendations on 20 outdoor-dining applications; ADA access and raised platforms repeatedly flagged

Manhattan Community Board 2’s Outdoor Dining Working Group reviewed 20 sidewalk- and roadway-cafe applications at a virtual June 25 meeting and issued advisory recommendations on each application, approving most with modifications and denying a small number where plans could not meet program rules.

The group’s recommendations emphasized two recurring compliance items: maintaining a required 5-foot clearance from primary building entrances and ensuring a continuous ADA-accessible pedestrian clear path (typically 8–10 feet depending on corridor designation). Members repeatedly flagged raised platforms that block the clear path and asked applicants to submit stamped documentation if they planned to put seating on basement/utility hatches.

The board chair, Valerie Dela Rosa, opened the meeting and repeatedly reminded applicants that the group’s opinions are advisory and that changes that resolve DOT concerns can shorten the remainder of the city approval process. “It is optional for applicants to be here,” she said, adding that agreeing to recommended modifications can remove a public DOT hearing from the process.

Why it matters: the City’s Dining Out NYC program (DOT) and the working group’s advisory reviews determine whether sidewalk- and roadway-cafe proposals proceed smoothly. Where applicants cannot show a clear pedestrian zone, or where seating would rely on unapproved raised platforms or block required residential-access clearances, the board recommended denial or asked for revised drawings and engineering documentation.

Key examples and program issues

- Raised platforms and ADA access: Multiple applicants either proposed seating on an existing raised platform or had a platform present at the site (examples raised in the meeting included applications for Kiko (307 Spring St.), The Dutch (131 Sullivan St.) and others). Staff and members said the Dining Out NYC rules prohibit new sidewalk cafes on raised platforms unless there is a documented, preexisting approved easement and the applicant supplies DOB/DOT easement or permit documentation plus an engineer’s certification for any hatch or platform to carry seating loads. Members asked applicants to supply the signed/stamped “basement/street hatch” certification if they want seating on a hatch; otherwise seating must…