Ballot Proposal 1

Speed Up Process for Granting a Revocable Consent to Use Public Spaces

What you will see on the ballot

Simplify process to use public space for uses such as ramps, planters, and cafes, by removing mandatory hearings and Council disapproval of sidewalk cafes, while maintaining community and Council input. 

• A "yes" vote speeds up process to use public space while maintaining community input. 
• A "no" vote maintains longer process with mandatory public hearing to use public space and Council review of sidewalk cafes.

What this proposal says 

This proposal would change how New York City permits public sidewalks and streets to be used for outdoor structures like accessibility ramps, benches, electrical poles, bus shelters, and outdoor cafes.  

What this proposal means

• Currently, property and business owners who want to use public space must get City permission, called a "revocable consent." First, they submit applications to the Department of Transportation (DOT) or the Office of Technology and Innovation (OTI). The agency is then required to hold a public hearing, and the applicant must pay to publish ads in local newspapers. Community Boards, Council members, and Borough Presidents must also be notified. For sidewalk cafes specifically, the City Council can vote to reject the permit even after DOT approves it. The City can take back these permissions at any time, and permit holders pay an annual fee.  
• Under the proposal, public hearings would become optional, meaning many applications could proceed without one. Community Boards, Council members, and Borough Presidents would still be notified of the application and could submit comments to DOT or OTI, but they would have fewer formal review steps. Permit applicants would no longer pay for newspaper ads, but notices would still be posted in the City Record, the City's official public notice publication. Sidewalk cafes would be treated the same as all other revocable consents, removing the City Council's authority to reject those permits.  
• The new approval process and removal of required hearings and reviews would go into effect March 1, 2027 and would not apply to petitions already submitted.