Downtown pols call for limits on permanent outdoor dining

The Open Restaurants program, a lifeline for small business owners during the pandemic, has achieved a rare feat in New York City politics; uniting just about every demographic imaginable, including registered Democrats and Republicans, in popular support, according to polling. As it turns out, not everyone is on board. While the City Planning Commission heard testimony Wednesday about making the Open Restaurants program permanent, a coalition of Downtown Manhattan lawmakers and community leaders voiced their