AS THE CITY TAKES STEPS TO MAKE OUTDOOR DINING PERMANENT, FLUSHING RESIDENTS REMAIN CONCERNED

Photo by: Caithlin Pena

As one of New York City’s well-known food destinations, Flushing benefited from the success of the Open Restaurants program during the height of the pandemic. However, when the city announced plans to make the program permanent, some residents had concerns about whether it is a good idea for the long-term. 

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Richie Luu, 30, an I.T. specialist, has lived in Flushing his whole life and finds that the current outdoor dining setups are not only dirty but have also generated more traffic. 

He noticed that in certain areas like Prince St., the outdoor dining setup is great because they don’t have to deal with cars or bicycle traffic. But, in other areas like 40th Rd., it feels “like Covid is sitting around there.”

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“You look at it and it looks really miserable,” he said. “Like, if a car were to hit this thing, the entire thing would collapse.”

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Flushing already has some of the highest foot traffic outside of Manhattan, according to a Commercial District Needs Assessment. Its access to the 7 train, Long Island Railroad, and several buses, has also made its streets heavily congested. 
    
These same concerns were also raised during a community board meeting in September, according to the board meeting minutes.

“Flushing Downtown sidewalks are too narrow for dining,” said community board member Diane Yu. “Also, stores and residential garbage is placed in front of doors or curbs.”

In response to Yu, Department of Transportation Deputy Director Albert Silvestri, who was also present at the September meeting, responded, “Downtown Flushing will not be able to have outdoor dining.”

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Neither the Flushing community board nor the DOT responded to requests for comments. 

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The Open Restaurants program allowed restaurants to use sidewalks and curbside spaces in front of their businesses to create dining spaces. Mayor de Blasio claimed that it saved more than 100,000 restaurant jobs during the pandemic. 

However, in October, residents from the West Village and the Lower East Side sued the DOT for mishandling its review of the Open Restaurants program as well as for disruptions in their quality of life, according to a report by The Gothamist.

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A map created by the Flushing Business Improvement District shows that there are currently more than 50 restaurants that have outdoor dining spaces along Main St., from Roosevelt Ave. to Union St. 

However, not all residents are opposed to the current outdoor dining setups.

Toddler teacher, Sam Packer, 26, has lived in Flushing for the past 17 years.

They are immunocompromised and feels that the outdoor dining Flushing offers right now is a good thing, as it allows them to enjoy dining out again without fear of catching the virus from anyone indoors.  

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“So, whenever someone gets, let's say a mild cold, I can get it worse,” they said. “And, God forbid, I can bring that back to my folks, which I don't want to do.”

The DCP has announced a public survey and engagement schedule in order to create proper safety and design guidelines. 

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 “This process will offer the public opportunities to share their thoughts on all aspects of the program, including use of sidewalk and street space,” stated DCP communications intern, Aislinn Klein, in an e-mail.

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The DCP is encouraging New Yorkers to respond to the survey by Dec. 31st and attend the in-person and virtual events to share their thoughts.