Could This Be the End of the Party in Dimes Square?
On Wednesday, the New York City Council convened to vote on matters of critical importance: organic waste collection, blockchain technology, the upcoming mayoral race and 18 red bistro chairs that dot the corner of Canal and Ludlow Streets.
Like hundreds of restaurateurs across the city, Jon Neidich, an owner of Le Dive, applied for a permit last year for sidewalk seating outside of his buzzy wine bar on the Lower East Side of Manhattan.
Under ordinary circumstances, his application would have been approved or rejected by the Department of Transportation, and never even considered by the City Council. Instead, Christopher Marte, a Council member who represents the area, brought it before the full Council for a vote — an unusual move given support from Le Dive's community board.
The Council rejected it.
'Le Dive has demonstrated a continuous disregard for sidewalk cafe regulation,' Mr. Marte said during a committee meeting before the vote, 'and at this time cannot be trusted to be a good steward of this program and must be held accountable.'
These kind of permits are being debated across the city. But there's something about one quarter-mile stretch of Canal Street.
This expanse between Chinatown and the Lower East Side has become known as 'Dimes Square,' a destination for hip, young New Yorkers. During the pandemic, fast and loose enforcement of sidewalk and street dining solidified Dimes Square as a subculture and a micro-neighborhood, even briefly appearing on Google Maps.
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