Morris Park Avenue News Morris Park Business Improvement District Newsletter Year I, Issue 22, October 19, 2020 New Regulations on Indoor/Outdoor Dining NY State Plastic Bag Ban Enforcement Starting Today MPBID Beautification Program on Morris Park Avenue New Businesses Opening: Floral Event by Mary

Multi-agency Guidelines on New Indoor/Outdoor Regulations Get information and ask questions about new indoor and outdoor dining rules and changes related to the extension of the Open Restaurants program - DOHMH: Health and Safety Guidelines - DOT: Outdoor Dining - SBS: Business Resources - OATH: Fines, Summonses, and Trials - OSE: Inspections and Enforcement - DOB: Air Filtration and HVAC - FDNY: Outdoor Heaters Register for WEBINAR Tuesday, October 20, 2020, 12-1:30pm

Updates to the Open Restaurants Program The NYC Open Restaurants Program was made permanent. Restaurants will be permitted to use heating and enclosures, and expand seating to adjacent properties with neighbors’ consent. Specific guidance is forthcoming. Adjacent Properties The City will allow restaurants to expand seating to the frontage of adjacent properties, as long as the adjacent property owners formally agree to the use of the space for a specified period of time and commit not to charge a fee for its use The City will work with the State Liquor Authority (SLA) on any requirements associated with extending alcohol service to the expanded seating in front of adjacent properties In early October, NYC DOT will issue a template agreement and provide instructions on how to file the agreements Adjacent properties may not be used prior to the release of official instructions and formal agreements Heating As cooler weather arrives, the City will allow restaurants to incorporate heating elements into their outdoor dining setups Electrical heaters will be allowed on both sidewalk and roadway Propane and natural gas heaters will be allowed on sidewalks only; they will remain prohibited in roadway seating Propane will require a permit from FDNY and compliance with FDNY regulations for outdoor use, handling and secure outdoor tank storage overnight Official guidance on what will be considered approved installation and use of heating elements will be released before the end of September, and restaurants are prohibited from installing heating elements until guidelines are released and followed Tents Restaurants will also be permitted to use tent enclosures to keep diners warm In partial tent enclosures, at least 50% of the tent’s side wall surface area must remain open and electrical heaters are allowed In full tent enclosures, the tent’s side walls may be closed but occupancy limitations will be capped at 25% of capacity, and indoor dining guidelines must be followed; electrical heaters will also be allowed Enclosed structures, such as plastic domes, will be allowed for individual parties and must have adequate ventilation to allow for air circulation Roadway Safety As the program’s duration will now continue through the winter months, and winter weather creates potential for inclement weather to impact road conditions, the City will engage the restaurant industry and other stakeholders to develop additional safety features to further strengthen roadway barriers To ensure timely implementation, the City will require restaurant owners to comply with new safety features by November 15, 2020 In addition, significant snow events may necessitate the temporary removal of some barriers from the roadway

Enforcement of NY State Plastic Bag Ban Starts on October 19 Reminder! The NY State Plastic Bag Ban Enforcement by the NYS Department of Environmental Conservation is starting today, October 19, 2020. Please remember to bring a reusable bag when shopping, or pay 5c for a paper bag. For more information on the regulation please check here.

MPBID Beautification Program on Morris Park Avenue The MPBID is proud to implement our first beautification program in the corridor, with the support of The Horticultural Society of New York. Since the beginning of October, 126 tree pits were cleaned, aerated, soil supplements and mulch added. 47 tree pits with guards were also planted with ornamental fall plants, to improve the aspect of the corridor and make for a pleasant shopping experience for our residents. We much appreciate the community support, especially pet owners, to keep the tree pits clean. Thank you also to News12 The Bronx for highlighting the Morris Park BID beautification program!

GRANTS AVAILABLE TO SMALL BUSINESSES Grants from Google – As part of Google’s economic recovery commitment, the company has launched two grant programs to support small businesses:  MainStreet ONLINE, a COOP program powered by Google, pairs small business owners with COOP students, who are trained in E-commerce and supervised by an experienced strategist, to build an optimized Shopify online store for businesses for free and help them reach new customers with Google tools. Small businesses will get hands-on assistance setting up a Shopify website and free product listings on the Google shopping tab, an optimized free Business Profile on Google Search and Maps, and support building effective Smart Shopping campaigns on Google. Applications are open until October 30, 2020. Download the flyer here and apply here.  PowerUp Program for LatinX Businesses, funded by a $3 million grant from Google will directly support hundreds of Latino-owned small businesses across California, New York, and Texas with access to capital and the training they need to overcome the economic downturn and continue to grow.  Grow with Google “Paso a Paso” provides free tools and training to help any Latino-owned business adapt and grow their business. Businesses can sign up for workshops (in English or Spanish), and continue their digital marketing training with Primer app minicourses in Spanish.  Here is a social media toolkit for CBOs and BIDs to promote these opportunities.  Grants from LISC NYC Small Business Relief & Recovery Fund LISC NYC has launched the LISC NYC Small Business Relief & Recovery Fund, which will provide direct grants of $10,000 to New York City minority-owned small businesses that face challenges to their survival in the face of the COVID-19 pandemic. The goal of the Fund is to help particularly vulnerable small businesses weather the immediate impact of the pandemic and to support their likelihood of long-term success. Round 2 of applications open on October 19th and will be open until November 6th. Read more in the press release, and download flyers in English and Spanish.

New business welcome! Floral Events by Mary Newly relocated at 750-B Morris Park Avenue, we welcome Floral Event by Mary, a beautifully restored interior full of freshness and color. We wish Mary a lot of joy and satisfied customers at her new location. Thank you for choosing to open on Morris Park Avenue!

Morris Park Business Improvement District morrisparkbid.org 966 Morris Park Avenue, Bronx, NY  US  10462 Morris Park Avenue News, Year I, Issue 22, October 19, 2020 Morris Park BID Newsletter.

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