Manhattan’s Chinatown hopes it will soon have sidewalk cafes like those in Little Italy. The City Planning Department submitted a proposal to the City Council that would allow merchants in the area between Lafayette and Prince streets and Delancy and Orchard streets to set up sidewalk cafes in the area. At present, merchants in this area are forbidden from setting up sidewalk cafes. Other areas looking to bring cafes to their sidewalks in the city include Times Square and east of Eigth Avenue in midtown.

Chinese merchants with business along these streets are optimistic that the "Small Sidewalk Cafes Project," planned by the City Planning Department to revive Manhattan businesses and to beautify the city, will be approved. Unlike traditional sidewalk cafes, however, the proposal stipulates stores can only set up a single line of tables that cannot extend more than 4.5 feet into the sidewalk and cannot have a rail around them.

Mr. Lin, owner of the Four Entrees and One Soup restaurant on Centre Street, is optimistic. “There are too many people during meal times,” he said. “I and other restaurant owners have discussed the possibility setting up sidewalk seats [to meet our needs]. This plan will help increase business for the restaurants.”

The City Planning Department discovered that, compared to the other boroughs, there is a high rate of illegal sidewalk cafes in Manhattan. The department will consider applications for small sidewalk cafes to allow New Yorkers and tourists to enjoy the Manhattan scenery in spring, summer, and autumn, as long as they do not interfere with pedestrian flow and do not expand the business’ operating space.

The proposal has passed in three of the eight districts involved. Rachaele Raynoff, a spokesperson for the City Planning Department, said that if the council approved the project in late April or early May, it could become effective immediately. Stores can then apply for permission to set up sidewalk cafes through the Department of Consumer Affairs.