Street Seats

A temporary seating installation in the parking lane or on wide sidewalks that creates an inviting location for eating, reading, working, meeting a friend, or taking a rest. Interested parties apply to DOT, select the design, and install and maintain the Street Seat. Institutions or civic partners (such as a school, health-center, cultural institution, senior center, etc.) or other non-food service establishments that own or operate the frontage at the ground floor of a building may be eligible to install and maintain a Street Seat. Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and non-profit organizations without frontage are also eligible, if they work in partnership with a local business that does have frontage. For food service establishments, please review Dining Out NYC.

New School, E 13th Street and 5th Avenue, Manhattan
Pitkin Avenue and Rockaway Avenue, Brooklyn

Description

  • DOT works with community partners to design and implement Street Seats – designs may vary widely 
  • Designs without a platform utilizing Color Surface Treatments are preferred
  • Custom designs are allowed, and will be reviewed on a case-by-case basis
  • Includes vertical elements such as planters, shade, and seating

Siting

  • All potential Street Seat sites are expected to be both safe and practical
  • Site must be a pleasant place to sit
  • Adjoining sidewalk must be free of major obstructions such as fire hydrants, driveways, newsstands, or bus stops
  • The lane along the curb cannot be a moving traffic lane at any time of day. The parking regulations at the curb must be suitable for the installation
  • All applications for Street Seats require support from the adjacent property owner and approval from the local Community Board prior to installation
  • The presence of certain types of underground utilities may render locations unsuitable for Street Seats

Installation

DOT installs operational elements, such as signage, striping on the parking lane, Color Surface Treatments, and/or temporary plastic bollards. DOT may also provide vertical elements such as movable furniture and planters

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