With warmer weather approaching, Hudson Square is gearing up for more socially distant lounging and outdoor dining areas for New Yorkers to enjoy.
Hudson Square Business Improvement District opened Freeman Plaza East and West and Spring Street Park for the season with additional furniture, allowing for more socially distant lounging. The BID is also teaming up with Streetlab, a nonprofit that creates free programs for public spaces across NYC, to create open-air drawing studios in Spring Street Park during Tuesday and Thursday afternoons starting in May.
“The public realm has played an important role in providing the outdoor space we need to support our businesses and community during COVID,” said BID President and CEO, Ellen Baer. “We are thrilled to welcome people back to our neighborhood with the expansion of our parklets and newly configured parks that offer a safe and comfortable atmosphere to enjoy Hudson Square.”
The BID has also recently relaunched the area’s parklets, which ate temporary curbside dining spaces. Each parklet expands seating in the adjacent roadbed corresponding with the frontage of the participating retailer consistent with the City’s ‘Open Restaurants’ requirements. The BID is supplying the parklets with planters, furniture and umbrellas to liven up the area, plus painted graphics will be on the ground reflect the color and artistry found throughout the neighborhood.
Parklets are open at the following restaurants, with more coming soon:
The initiatives set forth by the BID are a part of a comprehensive strategy to boost ground-floor retail by supporting businesses and welcoming people back to the neighborhood. Though Hudson Square is predominantly a commercial business district, the neighborhood has seen a decline in foot traffic since the start of the pandemic. As we head into the spring and summer, the BID hopes to welcome back office workers and visitors as the city continues to reopen.
