Manhattan CB2 approves six sidewalk-cafe applications with modifications, denies one for ADA noncompliance
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Summary
At its December meeting Manhattan Community Board 2 approved multiple sidewalk-cafe applications with required plan updates and barriers, denied Cafe Habana’s application as not ADA-compliant, and asked other applicants to correct site-plan checkboxes and show perimeters to avoid DOT delays.
Manhattan Community Board 2’s outdoor dining working group on Tuesday reviewed eight sidewalk-cafe applications and moved most forward with conditions while denying one application for failing to meet accessibility requirements. Chair Valerie Dela Rosa called the meeting to order at 6:37 p.m. and led members through each application, asking applicants to update plans, label cellar doors and awnings, and show continuous perimeters.
The board voted to deny Cafe Habana’s application at 17 Prince Street after members concluded the posted layout left less than a 10-foot clear path and did not provide a path to ADA compliance. Chair Valerie Dela Rosa said the site’s sidewalk width and mailbox placement made it “not ADA-compliant,” and the members voted in favor of denial.
Several applications were approved with required modifications. For PBM Kenmare LLC (Pura Vida Miami, 98 Kenmare Street), the board flagged a discrepancy between the site plan (about 8 feet between café and tree pits) and the property’s regional-corridor designation, which requires a 10-foot clearance. Stella Fitzgerald, vice chair, asked the applicant to reconcile the plan and follow up with DOT; applicant Ryan Badger, identifying himself as “vice president of construction for Pura Vida Miami,” said he would submit corrections. The board approved the Pura Vida application contingent on updating the site plan and confirming the clearance with DOT.
For Simo Pizza (75 University Place) owner Simone Falco, members asked that the site plan explicitly check the overhead-coverings/umbrellas box, show a continuous perimeter, remove or relocate flowerpots, and clarify furnishing zones. Falco said she would update the plan and resubmit materials to DOT and the board’s portal. The board approved the Simo/CMO Pizza application with those modifications.
Other approvals with modifications included O’Neil’s (174 Grand Street), West Village Oasis/ Casa FM (140 Charles Street) and two others on the docket after members requested minor fixes such as labeling cellar doors, marking awnings, reducing shown table footprints where necessary, and clarifying barriers. Discussion of Banter (643 Hudson Street) and Shoo Shoo Nolita (371 Broom Street) focused on mismatches between historic plans and current enclosures, cellar hatches and vestibules; board members said revised, accurate plans must show primary building entrances, hatches and service access to confirm a path to compliance.
The board repeatedly emphasized that filing corrected plans promptly — including the proper checkboxes on the City site-plan form and sending a copy to DOT — can prevent an additional 30-day delay in processing. At the end of the docket the board moved to new business and agreed to request a revised plan and hold a public hearing in January for a resubmitted application (Ansbour LLC dba Coffee and Cocktails / Le Pointe NYC at 18 Ninth Avenue).
The meeting closed with a reminder from the chair that the working group has held hearings on 542 roadway and sidewalk cafes — roughly 30% of outdoor dining cafes in Manhattan — and noted the board’s continued interest in clear-path rules and enforcement.
The board adjourned at 8:01 p.m.
