On Wednesday afternoon, the entire New York City Council gathered to handle the important business of a city of 8.5 million people. They voted to approve zoning modifications for Steve Cohen's still-theoretical $8 billion casino in Queens, improve the IDNYC application process, and strengthen foster care oversight. Also on the agenda: killing roughly two dozen sidewalk cafe seats at the popular Dimes Square restaurant Le Dive.
Having the City Council weigh in on a sidewalk cafe application is rare. According to the Department of Transportation, which handles both sidewalk seating applications and roadway dining permits, 1,638 establishments have applied for sidewalk permits over the past year, and only two other restaurants have had their applications rejected by the council—both of them were in the western Queens district of "common sense" Democrat Bob Holden.
So how did an application for sidewalk seating in this bar-and-restaurant-soaked corner of Chinatown, on one of the city's most popular Open Streets for restaurants, get denied?