Brewer Wants to Open City Streets to Restaurants
In a Thursday appearance on WPIX 11 New York, Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer (D) discussed plans to open city streets to restaurants.
The appearance came as city officials try deciding how to pedestrianize Broadway and allow restaurants to let patrons dine outside. Brewer indicated that the steps are crucial to ensure they survive.
“There are all these issues to account for: bus lanes, bike lanes, traffic,” said Brewer. “Sometimes you can do shared streets; I know that sounds hard to do, but it’s been done before. We have to think about all these issues, but we cannot lose our restaurants. My first focus is making sure those restaurants survive.”
Rivera Bill Protecting Commercial Lease Violators Passes Council
The City Council voted 44 to 6 Wednesday on a bill from Councilmember Carlina Rivera (D-East Village, Lower East Side), the Real Deal reported.
The bill would allow retailers, such as restaurants and bars, and non-essential ones, such as gyms and movie theaters, to avoid losing personal assets in the event that they violate their leases during the pandemic.
“Losing your business is hard enough, but imagine someone coming after your home as well,” said Speaker Corey Johnson (D-Midtown West, Chelsea, West Village), in support of the bill right before the vote.
Chin Demands Funding Increase for Homebound Senior Meal Delivery
QNS.com reported Tuesday that demand for meal delivery services for homebound seniors has increased amid the coronavirus pandemic. However, a lack of funding has made it harder for them to keep up with demand.
On May 1, City Council Aging Committee Chair Margaret Chin (D-Financial District, Chinatown) wrote Aging Department Commissioner Lorraine Cortés-Vázquez a letter requesting $26.2 million in funds for the programs to prevent them from going bankrupt.
“The city must invest in the HDM program to ensure that the COVID-19 pandemic does not do further harm to our city’s older adults than it already has,” Chin wrote in the letter dated May 1. “This funding need is urgent.”
