Outdoor Dining at Least Three Weeks Away
allowed when reopening begins
Yonkers Mayor Mike Spano announced he will issue an emergency order suspending the City’s zoning and building codes which will allow restaurants to provide outdoor dining for patrons. Once New York State authorizes outdoor dining operations, restaurants will be able to use sidewalks, parking areas or other suitable areas for outdoor dining. Permit applications for outdoor dining in Yonkers are available at www.YonkersNY.gov.
Restaurants will be able to use sidewalks as long as they separate dining areas from passersby and leave four feet of sidewalk open. Establishments also can use their own parking lots if they have one and the City, through the Yonkers Parking Authority, will make City lots available for any ones adjacent to restaurants.
Applicants must submit a $50 fee for the sidewalk café application. Approval of any submitted outside dining permits must conform to New York State’s physical distancing guidelines, and will only be authorized when the State authorizes outside dining for Westchester County. Questions can be directed to the Yonkers Small Business Center at 914-343-4113 or SmallBiz@yonkersny.gov.
Westchester County Executive George Latimer went over the steps toward the re-opening of the county and Yonkers. In order to begin Phase One, the Mid-Hudson Region (which encompasses Westchester, as well as Rockland, Orange, Putnam, Sullivan, Ulster, and Dutchess Counties) has meet seven separate benchmarks.
These metrics have been established based on guidance from the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, the World Health Organization, the U.S. Department of State, and other public health experts. They include a decline in Total Hospitalizations, Deaths, and new Hospitalizations. Hospital Bed Capacity, ICU Bed Capacity, Diagnostic Testing Capacity and Contact Tracing Capacity, are also reviewed.
In order to move on to the next phase, each region must wait a minimum of two weeks. Westchester County, and Yonkers, are currently in phase one which began this week. Outdoor dining falls under Phase 3, which would be four weeks away, or in late June, at the earliest.
In order to re-open, businesses must document a detailed plan for a safe reopening, and must read the detailed Guidance provided by NYS and submit an affirmation.
Phase One includes Construction, Agriculture, Forestry, Fishing and Hunting, Retail (Limited to curbside or in-store pickup or drop off), Manufacturing, Wholesale Trade.
Phase Two includes Professional Services, Retail, Administrative Support, Real Estate / Rental & Leasing
Phase Three includes Restaurants / Food Services—Phase Four includes Arts / Entertainment / Recreation, Education.
During his weekly online update, Mayor Spano said “It will come back very slowly, but this is an extrordinary first step and we can now see the light at the end of the tunnel. But we still have to practice social distancing and stay home if we can. Practice proper hygiene and wash your hands or we run the risk of having the numbers go the other way. We don’t want that to happen. Be smart when the weather gets nice and protect yourselves and protect others. We can control what happens next to some extent,” said Spano.
Yonkers Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Edwin Quezada said, “we are working towards a plan to re-open the schools in September.” He added that the YPS will have summer school for some students through distance learning.
