The owner of a swanky French bistro in Midtown as well as the high-end Japanese restaurant next door transformed the public walkway between them into a polished outdoor dining space. Now he’s looking to change local zoning regulations to keep the space in operation, a move that could allow other eateries in the district to create their own.
Attorney Neil Weisbard from the firm Seyfarth Shaw LLP filed an application with the Department of City Planning earlier this month on behalf of Emil Stefkov, the restaurateur behind La Grande Boucherie, at 1325 Sixth Ave., and Kaiseki Room, at 145 W. 53rd St., to permit the roughly 1,000-square-foot dining area between the adjacent buildings. The change, if approved, would also green-light other restaurants to operate similar spaces within the Special Midtown District of Manhattan, in so-called through-block gallerias, which are open on either end and typically covered by a skylight.
Other restaurants that offer outdoor dining typically operate on the sidewalk in front of the restaurant or in a setup at the curb.
Only two other through-block gallerias currently exist within the district, according to Weisbard, at 135 W. 52nd St. and 1285 Sixth Ave. And in order to take advantage of the proposed zoning change, the adjacent restaurants must already be in operation. A wine bar and the food hall chain Urbanspace operate on West 52nd Street.
A provision in the zoning code dating back to the 1980s that is no longer in effect, as of 1996, permitted the use of gallerias to allow for extra floor area for nearby businesses, but stipulated that “eating or drinking service may not be provided.” Current regulations, however, do not specify whether such eateries are allowed. So when Stefkov opened La Grande Boucherie in 2020—and Kaiseki Room in 2021—he took a gamble on the zoning code’s ambiguity and turned the then-abandoned public walk-through into a dining space with outdoor dining tables and greenery. If the city approves the application, which Weisbard said has been in the works for at least five years, Stefkov will be permitted to keep the tables and chairs for La Grande Boucherie as well as add new seating for Kaiseki Room. Stefkov was inspired by famous Parisian passageways in which eateries lining open-air blocks operate freely, his lawyer said.
“That’s what he wanted to mimic,” said Weisbard. “Now there is no provision that regulates through-block gallerias.”
Without approval from the city, Le Grande Boucherie would have to remove its outdoor tables and chairs, Weisbard said, and the Kaiseki Room would not be allowed to use the space at all. Between the two, Stefkov hopes to get the OK for a total of 57 tables and 114 chairs, according to the application.
“It would revert back to the ugly galleria that it was,” he said.
The Department of City Planning said the approval process will likely take at least six months and will require votes from both the City Planning Commission as well as the City Council.
Julianne Cuba , 2024-04-12 18:32:46
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