Albany expands the Outdoor Cafe Program

ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The city of Albany has decided to expand the Outdoor Café Program to make room for more outdoor dining.  

This will allow restaurants on Lark Street, Madison Avenue, and Jay Street to add sidewalk seating. 

“This is a huge start. If it works with closing the sidewalks, we may be able to close the streets so the sky is the limit with what we will be able to do,” said Patrick Noonan, Chairman of Lark Street BID.  

Parking lane closures will go into effect July 6th and continue through July 31st. Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan says this is the perfect opportunity to reimagine how the city currently operates.  

“The more we learn about how COVID is spread the more people are comfortable dinning outdoors. So, it’s how we create those opportunities,” said Mayor Sheehan.