L.L. 2016/053

Enactment date: 4/21/2016  

Int. No. 1109-B

By Council Members Johnson, Garodnick, Lander, Rodriguez, Torres, Chin and Cohen

A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to pedestrian plazas

Be it enacted by the Council as follows:

Section 1. Declaration of legislative intent and findings.

   a.   The Council finds and declares that as public amenities, pedestrian plazas enhance quality of life in New York City and help to attract tourism by providing a place for community gathering, entertainment, and cultural events, recreation, and active and passive enjoyment of the unique urban spaces in this City. However, there is a need to coordinate the wide variety of sometimes conflicting civic and commercial uses of these finite spaces, as well as to create an ambiance that helps enrich local communities and attract tourists, who are vital to the City's economy and foster economic development. Among other concerns, some pedestrian plazas face high levels of pedestrian congestion and/or activity that interfere with residents' and tourists' ability to enjoy these spaces and their unique qualities.

   b.   The Council finds that it is necessary and appropriate to confer authority on the New York City Department of Transportation to promulgate reasonable time, place, and manner regulations governing pedestrian plazas in order to manage the competing uses of finite public space. Given the wide diversity of pedestrian plazas, this law will allow the Department to draft both uniform pedestrian plaza rules and rules appropriately tailored to individual pedestrian plazas and the communities they serve. Further, it is necessary and appropriate to authorize the Department of Transportation to designate and remove the designation of plazas, with all existing plazas grandfathered in, and for an agency or office designated by the Mayor to promulgate rules establishing a process for the issuance of permits for events within pedestrian plazas and pertaining to the management of pedestrian plaza operations during events.

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[Consolidated provisions are not included in this Appendix A]

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§ 3. This local law takes effect 60 days after it becomes law, except that subdivision d of section 19-157, as added by section two of this local law, takes effect 120 days after it becomes law, and the commissioner of transportation and any agency or office designated by the mayor pursuant to subdivision d of section 19-157, as added by section two of this local law, shall take all actions necessary for its implementation, including the promulgation of rules, prior to such effective dates.