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Village Sun to set for a little while
Dear readers, thank you for your readership over the last five years — and for your support, story tips, photos, reader comments and more, and...
27 Comments
Editorial: Just say No to COYHO
The City of Yes. … eh, yeah, sure, it sounds positive. But you can’t judge a sweeping, citywide development program just on a catchy name....
19 Comments
‘It had to go now’: East Village pizzeria owner sheds his shed
BY CHRIS RYAN | Workers recently dismantled Eleven B pizza restaurant’s outdoor dining setup in the East Village. Owner Vincent Sgarlato got a bit of...
15 Comments
Elizabeth Street Garden’s last stand: Little Italy green dream faces City Hall’s wrecking ball
BY SUSAN SILVER | On the eve of its possible execution, the legendary Elizabeth Street Garden was dotted with afternoon visitors soaking up its perennial...
14 Comments
Biking’s his life — but Bowery rider says e-bikes are making life hell
BY OTTO FRITTON | As electric bikes have boomed in New York City, enforcement of traffic regulations against scofflaw riders has failed to keep pace....
22 Comments

The Village Sun NYPA Better Newspaper Contest Awards:

2023:

News Story — First Place

Coverage of Local Government — Second Place

Best Editorial Page — Third Place

Spot News Photos — Third Place

Coverage of Elections/Politics — Honorable Mention

Picture Story — Honorable Mention

2022:

News Story — First Place

Headlines — Second Place

Best Editorial Page — Third Place

Coverage of Religion — Third Place

Best House Ad — First Place

2021:

Best News or Feature Series — Second Place

Obituaries — Second Place

Coverage of Elections and Politics — Honorable Mention

Investigative/In-depth Reporting — Honorable Mention

Posts tagged as “Marjorie Velazquez”

Marte, Bottcher vote ‘no,’ Rivera ‘yes’ as City Council passes permanent Open Restaurants bill

Councilmember Christopher Marte apologized to his constituents for the Council's vote. (Photo by The Village Sun)

Marte, Bottcher vote ‘no,’ Rivera ‘yes’ as City Council passes permanent Open Restaurants bill

August 3, 2023

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | Defying opposition by resident groups and community boards from around the city, the City Council on Thursday approved legislation for a…

Councilmember: Open Restaurants has no negative environmental impacts

In March 2022, on a tour of Greenwich Village's "Shed City," then-Community Board 2 Chairperson Jeannine Kiely showed Councilmember Marjorie Velazquez a viral video of rats cavorting in Tacombi tacos' enclosed bubble shed at Cornelia and Bleecker Streets. (Photo by The Village Sun)

Councilmember: Open Restaurants has no negative environmental impacts

August 2, 2023

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | The city is sticking to its position that Open Restaurants has no adverse environmental impacts, and that an adequate environmental review…

Kill Bill (31-B), dining shed foes cry as Council poised to make pandemic gutter structures permanent

A restaurant shed on First Avenue in the East Village. (Photo by The Village Sun)

Kill Bill (31-B), dining shed foes cry as Council poised to make pandemic gutter structures permanent

May 23, 2023

BY THE VILLAGE SUN | Get outdoor dining out of the gutter already! That’s what members of CUEUP (Coalition United for Equitable Urban Policy), who…

‘Shedding’ any illusions on outdoor dining, Marte and Bottcher give Velazquez a tour of Village streets

Councilmember Christopher Marte points out to Marjorie Velazquez some unsavory-looking "sludge" that has collected between roadway dining sheds on Thompson Street. (Photo by The Village Sun)

‘Shedding’ any illusions on outdoor dining, Marte and Bottcher give Velazquez a tour of Village streets

March 1, 2022

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | Welcome to their world. Councilmembers Christopher Marte and Erik Bottcher led their colleague Marjorie Velazquez on a tour of “Shed City”…

Council removes D.O.T. — for now — as lead agency for Open Restaurants as it drafts bill for permanent program

A large, walkway-narrowing, on-sidewalk, temporary dining shed at Local 92, at 92 Second Ave., illustrates the city's current free-for-all, in terms of sidewalk cafes and roadway dining sheds. Though the COVID-inspired Open Restaurants program was meant to provide well-ventilated spaces, this shed appears to be completely enclosed. (Photo by The Village Sun)

Council removes D.O.T. — for now — as lead agency for Open Restaurants as it drafts bill for permanent program

February 18, 2022

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | So what exactly is on the menu now for Open Restaurants — and, for that matter, for stressed-out Downtowners driven to…

Shack to the future (not): At nine-hour hearing, city claims dining sheds to be phased out next year

At the Feb. 8 City Council hearing on making Open Restaurants permanent, Councilmember Erik Bottcher said a "one size fits all" approach is not working. The hearing also concerned the city's plan to lift all existing geographic restrictions on where sidewalk cafes can be located.

Shack to the future (not): At nine-hour hearing, city claims dining sheds to be phased out next year

February 9, 2022

BY LINCOLN ANDERSON | Updated Feb. 10, 12:45 p.m.: One of local residents’ biggest issues with the Open Restaurants program — the much-maligned roadway sheds…