CB2 forms working group to craft outdoor-dining criteria as city weighs Open Streets expansion

Community Board 2’s executive committee on May 19 agreed to create a working group to develop community criteria for expanded outdoor dining and street use as the city considers widening its Open Streets program.

The working group will be chaired by Valerie and include Joe, Bob and Donna, and is scheduled to meet June 1, Community Board 2 Chair Carter said. "I'm gonna create a new working group... Valerie's gonna chair it, and it's gonna Joe, Bob, and Donna are gonna be the the members on that," Carter said.

Board members said they want simple, locally tailored rules that let restaurants add outdoor seats while limiting late-night noise, music and other impacts on nearby residences. Shirley Secunda argued board support for the concept would help influence DOT, the Department of Consumer Affairs and other agencies: "This is what CB3 came out in support of: expansion of the Open Streets program to allow for restaurants to provide outdoor seating, that is tables and chairs properly spaced with social distancing and dining, either expanding into the street bed or similar to street seats," she said.

Why it matters: restaurants in the district told board members they may need substantial outdoor seating to operate viably if indoor capacity is reduced by social‑distancing rules. Committee members said they want a set of guiding criteria — hours of operation, limits on amplified sound, trash/cleaning responsibilities, and rules governing alcohol service — so businesses, neighborhood groups and city agencies can plan quickly if the city moves forward.

Board members described the issue as time‑sensitive. Several speakers noted public-health and scheduling constraints discussed by state and city officials set a practical timeline; one committee member summarized the governor’s phased approach as meaning outdoor dining was unlikely to start immediately and that July was a plausible earliest window. Members said community criteria would make it easier to evaluate specific street segments and help DOT and the Department of Consumer Affairs (DCA) implement programs without surprise conflicts.

Practical questions the group will weigh include how licensing and alcohol service intersect with sidewalk cafes and the State Liquor Authority rules, whether DOT should close streets or use parking lanes, and how to coordinate with the Police Department on enforcement. Carter and others said the working group will solicit input from small-business owners and block associations and coordinate with the speaker’s office and hospitality industry representatives who have already been discussing citywide approaches.

Board members emphasized the group is intended to be inclusive. Carter urged committee chairs and vice chairs to attend initial sessions, and staff said meeting notes and DOT Q&A from prior presentations will be posted on the CB2 website. No formal resolution or vote was taken at the executive committee meeting; members said future committee meetings and the full board could consider resolutions once the working group develops recommendations.

What’s next: the working group meets June 1; committee chairs may bring draft criteria back to the executive committee and then to the full board if members decide to adopt a resolution supporting particular rules or street closures.