New York City has approved year-round roadway dining alongside sidewalk cafes, creating more space for restaurants to serve customers outdoors and boosting the local economy. This change will encourage more vibrant, people-friendly streets in every season.

Outdoor dining is coming back stronger and more equitable, and we’ve been pushing to make it happen. Open Plans helped show how heavy fees, strict design rules, and seasonal limits shut out thousands of neighborhood restaurants, especially beyond Manhattan and brownstone Brooklyn. The City Council’s new bills move us closer to a year-round curbside dining program that works for small businesses and reclaims street space for people.

We’re proud that our advocacy helped bring year-round outdoor dining back to New York City. By pushing to cut red tape, winterize curbside setups, and reduce fees, we worked alongside small businesses so thousands more restaurants can share street space with people instead of parked cars—creating cleaner, more vibrant, and more welcoming neighborhoods in every season.