Makes hearings optional and removes Council rejection of sidewalk-cafe permits, retaining notification and comments.
Proposal 1 · New York City · Nov 3, 2026
Public-space permits
Official title: Speed Up Process for Granting a Revocable Consent to Use Public Spaces
Changes approval of sidewalk and street uses such as cafes and accessibility ramps.
At a glance
Charter amendment- Does it raise taxes?
- No. Changes how sidewalk-café and similar permits are approved; existing fees stay.
- Estimated cost or revenue
- Not quantified in the cited official explanation.
- Who pays
- City government; specific incidence not quantified.
- Where the money goes
- City administration
- How long
- Charter amendment; no sunset identified.
Worth knowing: No independently verified dollar estimate in this dataset.
From the NYC Votes and the state’s fiscal analysis. Estimates are the state’s, not ours.
Your choice
Saved privately on this device.What your vote does
Retains mandatory hearings and Council review of sidewalk cafes.
What remains the same under either outcome has not been independently established in this research.
How the money works
TypeCharter amendment
Rate or thresholdNot a tax-rate measure.
Cost, who pays and where the money goes are in “At a glance” above.
What your guides say
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Why they disagree
Supporters, including Citizens Union, the Regional Plan Association and restaurants, say making hearings optional and dropping newspaper notices would cut outdoor-dining approvals from about eight months to two.
Supporters (summary)Common Cause New York says it removes meaningful chances for residents and elected officials to weigh in on how public space is used.
Opponents (summary)Who’s funding it
We haven’t loaded campaign-finance filings for Proposal 1 yet. You can look them up directly:
Sources
- NYC Votes
2026 Ballot Proposal 1 · Official plain-language explanation
Checked Oct 31, 2026