OANA Open Restaurants Open Streets Initiative
rkhuzami During the summer, we at OANA, in partnership with the 30th Avenue Business Association, organized and applied for the city’s Open Restaurants Open Streets program on 30th Avenue.
The survival of our vibrant cafes, restaurants, and bars is paramount, and we are trying to do everything we can to make sure small businesses, a driver of employment, plus Astoria’s best-known asset to the rest of the world, does not disappear in this pandemic.
Regretfully, the application was denied. However, because the Mayor has announced that these programs will return next year, we are asking that a study be immediately initiated by the NYC DOT to make sure all parties can benefit from this program. The approval of one non-commercial closure should not negate the possibility of a similar closer for commercial interests.
We have released a statement to that effect which we are distributing to both the public and the city.
At our next monthly meeting on September 10th, the NYC Hospitality Alliance will be a presenter, giving advice to both the business sector and the public.
Richard Khuzami
Mr. Khuzami has been a member of Community Board 1 in Astoria, NY for the last 20 years. He sits on the Zoning and parks Committees and is on the Executive Board. Previously, he served as Parks and Culture chair of Community Board 1 for eleven years and also chaired Capital and Expense priority Committee. He is a member of the Queens General Assembly and had been a panelist for grant submissions for the Queens Council on the Arts (QCA). Richard also is an officer of The Eastern Mediterranean Business Culture Alliance (EMBCA) and President of OANA.