Get Full Government Meeting Transcripts, Videos, & Alerts Forever!
Get email alerts on the Sidewalk Cafe topic
No spam. Unsubscribe anytime.
Ridgewood sidewalk cafe request draws opposition from Council Member Holden over double outdoor dining
Summary
Cozy Corner of Ridgewood sought permission for a sidewalk cafe with about 13 tables and 52 seats (LU‑359); the council member for the district objected to allowing both sidewalk and roadway dining on the block and the item was laid over for further outreach.
The subcommittee heard an application (LU‑359) from Cozy Corner, an established Ridgewood cafe and bar, seeking a revocable consent to operate a sidewalk cafe with approximately 13 tables and 52 seats. Vito Palmeri, attorney for the applicant, said the outdoor seating had been in place since COVID and that the business had DOT approval for the roadway seating; he described the installation as meeting code requirements, with planting and pedestrian clearance beneath the awning.
Council Member Joann Ariola Holden, whose district includes the site, expressed strong objections to allowing both sidewalk cafe seating and roadway dining to coexist on the same block. Holden said the combined uses “is a little too much for such a congested area,” warned about blocked fire‑truck and sanitation access, and asserted that the awning covering the sidewalk seating lacked Department of Buildings approval. In the hearing she said she had received resident complaints and that “this sidewalk is an important public pathway and it should not be compromised in a way that hinders fire trucks, sanitation vehicles, and general flow.”
Applicant response and committee direction: Attorney Vito Palmeri said the owner modified the street‑level banquettes and would place cones and spacing measures to preserve emergency access; he said DOT had reviewed and recommended approval of the street seating and that the sidewalk seating is placed under an awning with more than 12 feet of pedestrian clearance in the applicant’s view. The applicant also argued there had been no prior complaints or violations for approximately four years.
Outcome and next steps: Council Member Holden declined to support the application in its current form and requested the owner to either remove the roadway dining or the sidewalk cafe to avoid dual encroachment. The subcommittee chair encouraged post‑hearing discussions between the applicant and Council Member Holden’s office; the item was laid over and will return to the committee only after further engagement.
