Community board calls for dining plazas on Austin Street and ‘Restaurant Row’
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Queens Community Board 6 has recommended that the Department of Transportation turn a portion of 70th Road in Forest Hills into pedestrian and dining plaza. Rendering courtesy of Matthew Celmer/MCV
By David Brand
The community board representing Forest Hills has called on the city to turn parts of Austin Street and 70th Road into car-free plazas that enable eateries to establish outdoor dining space.
The plan from Community Board 6 specifically recommends the Department of Transportation ban cars from two-thirds of 70th Road between Queens Boulevard and Austin Street, a strip known as “Restaurant Row.” The remaining third could be turned into a two-way street to allow motorists to enter and exit a parking garage on the Queens Boulevard side of the block, the board said.
“We know that enclosed spaces are not conducive to social distancing, and indeed support the spread of the disease, so outdoor space provides the greatest promise for enabling restaurants to resume their normal functioning,” the board wrote in a statement.
“Queens CB 6 supports expanded outdoor dining throughout the commercial areas of our District,” the 50-member board continued.
The other proposal calls for banning parking on a section of Austin Street between 70th Avenue and 72nd Road to allow restaurants to expand outdoor dining beyond the narrow sidewalks. Some businesses have also recommended outright banning cars from that portion of the road on weekends, the board said.
The city’s Open Restaurants initiative streamlines the application process for restaurants to implement outdoor dining. A DOT spokesperson said the agency encourages “every eligible restaurant to sign up for Open Restaurants. The agency did not comment on the specifics of the Forest Hills plan.
Architect Matthew Celmer prepared renderings for outdoor dining on 70th Road, which some member of the community board reviewed.
Under the plan, two-thirds of 70th Road would close to cars and parking would be banned on much of Austin Street in order to expand outdoor seating. Renderings courtesy of Matthew Celmer/MCV
“The argument there is that you can really draw people to the neighborhood,” said Celmer, who founded the firm MCV. “This could pull people in from all over Queens.”
On Monday, New York City entered Phase Two of the state’s reopening plan, which permits restaurants to open for outdoor dining — if they have the space to accommodate diners. Eateries have set up tables on sidewalks, in protected bike lane medians and in parking spaces.
“This might be a moment to re-evaluate how our cities are working,” Celmer said. “It could lead to more creativity in the city.”
