Nearly five weeks after Mayor Bill de Blasio said he wanted a crackdown on unused outdoor dining sheds, only a small sampling have been taken off the street.
The Department of Transportation said 30 abandoned or non-complaint huts had been removed as of Friday, just six more than when the mayor made his announcement.
De Blasio on Oct. 18 called it “not acceptable” that restaurant owners hold onto the outdoor sites without using them and said he would instruct the DOT to review each of the set ups and tell owners they had “a matter of days to get it right or the site should be pulled back and opened up again for parking.”
“So, that’s the kind of thing I’ve instructed. I’ll follow up and make sure that is happening quickly. Because it’s only fair,” Hizzoner said.
The DOT has refused repeated requests for a list of locations where the structures have been removed. In the case of an abandoned structure, the DOT said it authorizes the removal only after confirming a restaurant has closed.
But it has yet to take action on at least one forsaken hut outside the former Village Den restaurant in the West Village which still standing on Thursday despite The Post reporting in October that it was abandoned. A for rent sign was tacked up inside the empty restaurant’s door.
Mayor Bill de Blasio called it unacceptable for restaurants to hold on to unused dining sheds. L. ZecchinoThe DOT said lack of removals doesn’t mean it wasn’t inspecting the outdoor sheds, and that it tries to make restaurants comply with the rules first.
“Abandoned outdoor dining sheds aren’t good for anyone. We’re grateful for DOT’s hard work, and we’ll continue taking action when we find setups that have outlived their purpose,” a City Hall spokesman said.





