Proposal 1: Speed Up Process for Granting a Revocable Consent to Use Public Space
New York City
General election · Tuesday, November 3, 2026
RESULT · UNOFFICIAL UNTIL CERTIFIED
Approved
Counts are unofficial Board of Elections results as compiled on Wikipedia; percent reporting not published.
| Candidate | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Yes | 1,099,934 | 63.4% |
| No | 635,474 | 36.6% |
As of November 9. Counts can change until states certify. Wikipedia (unofficial NYC BOE results) ↗amNY ↗6sqft ↗
Sources re-checked September 25, 2026 · How we research
- This is one of five charter amendment questions placed on the November 2026 ballot by the Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE), the 2026 New York City Charter Revision Commission created by Mayor Zohran Mamdani in May 2026 and chaired by Patrick Gaspard. COGE held 10 public hearings across the five boroughs before adopting its final proposals on July 23, 2026.[1][2]
The question on the ballot
Proposed Charter Amendment: Speed Up Process for Granting a Revocable Consent to Use Public Space. Simplify process to use public space for uses such as ramps, planters and cafes, by removing mandatory hearings and Council disapproval of sidewalk cafes, while maintaining community and Council input. "Yes" speeds up process to use public space while maintaining community input. "No" maintains longer process with mandatory public hearing to use public space and Council review of sidewalk cafes.[1]
The amendment would combine the City's separate sidewalk-café and roadway-dining "revocable consent" application processes into a single application and modernize public notice requirements. It removes the current requirement for a mandatory public hearing before a revocable consent for public space (such as ramps, planters, or benches) is granted, and removes City Council review and potential disapproval of sidewalk café applications, while keeping a role for community input. COGE says the change would cut the outdoor-dining application timeline from about eight months to about two months and save small businesses up to $1,800 in application costs.[1][2]
A YES vote means
Amends the City Charter to combine the sidewalk café and roadway dining application processes, remove the requirement for a mandatory public hearing to use public space, and remove City Council disapproval review of sidewalk café applications, while maintaining community and Council input.
A NO vote means
Leaves the Charter unchanged: uses of public space continue to require a mandatory public hearing, and the City Council retains review of sidewalk café applications.
The law today
Revocable consents let a property or business owner build and keep structures such as accessible ramps, garbage enclosures or benches on public sidewalks; a sidewalk or roadway cafe needs a license plus a revocable consent. The petitioner applies to the Department of Transportation (or the Office of Technology and Innovation for telecommunications infrastructure), which must hold a public hearing; the petitioner must pay to publish notice of the hearing twice in local newspapers, notice runs 15 days in the City Record, the Community Board and Council member are notified, and the Mayor must approve. Sidewalk cafes also get Community Board review, and the City Council can vote to disapprove them (roadway cafes are not subject to this). The City can revoke any consent at any time, and each requires an annual payment.[5][7]
Official fiscal estimate
No official fiscal impact statement was published for this charter amendment. The Commission's final report estimates that, together with non-Charter internal reforms, it would cut the eight-month outdoor-dining application process by 75 percent, to two months, and save small businesses up to $1,800 in application costs plus thousands of dollars of staff time; these are the Commission's own estimates.[6]
Arguments made for
- "New Yorkers love outdoor dining, and our small businesses shouldn't have to navigate an eight-month bureaucratic maze to make it happen," said Sara Lind, Co-Executive Director of Open Plans.[2]
- "Making the permitting process more efficient allows restaurant owners to spend more time investing in their businesses and less time navigating paperwork," said Sandra Jaquez, President of NYS Latino Restaurant Association.[2]
- COGE Chair Patrick Gaspard said the commission's proposals, including this one, "would help make our city more affordable and livable for working New Yorkers," citing simplified processes for uses like outdoor dining.[2]
Arguments made against
- A spokesperson for City Council Speaker Julie Menin, Henry Robins, said of COGE's ballot package as a whole: "In just a few weeks, the commission developed a series of sweeping changes to city government with far-reaching implications for oversight, transparency, and public accountability."[3]
- Good-government group Citizens Union said COGE was taking up "important and timely reforms," but said the push to get questions on the November ballot left little time for public input, research and deliberation, on a timeline it said was shorter than the one used by a widely criticized charter revision commission Mayor Adams convened in 2024; the group called for new limits on the process, including minimum timelines for future charter revision commissions.[4]
- Center for Independence of the Disabled, New York (CIDNY), in a statement to the NYC Campaign Finance Board, as quoted in the Board's summary: relying solely on written comments or notices in the City Record "creates a barrier to participation, particularly for low-income residents and people with sensory or digital access limitations. It also does not allow for valuable back-and-forth conversations with public officials."[7]
- Common Cause New York, recommending a No vote: "Government efficiency is important, but it should not come at the expense of public participation and legislative oversight."[8]
On record in support
- Commission on Government Efficiency (COGE), the Charter Revision Commission convened by Mayor Zohran Mamdani (sponsor of the proposal)[2][6]
- Citizens Union (recommends a Yes vote on all five proposals)[9]
- Open Plans (submitted a statement in support to the Campaign Finance Board)[7]
- New York City Hospitality Alliance (submitted a statement in support)[7]
- Regional Plan Association (submitted a statement in support)[7]
- Reinvent Albany (submitted a statement in support)[7]
Research notes & limits
Official ballot question text and yes/no framing are taken verbatim from the Charter Revision Commission's Appendix A filing. No source found with opposition arguments specific to Proposal 1 by name; the cited criticisms address the COGE ballot package's process and oversight implications generally rather than this question alone. Supporter and opponent lists for this proposal come from the NYC Campaign Finance Board's published summaries of statements it received (organizations that submitted a statement) and from groups' own published positions. No registered ballot-proposal campaign committees or finance filings were found, so no campaign finance is shown.
Sources · 9
Researched 2026-09-25. Green citations are official government records.
- 1.Appendix A: Proposed Questions, 2026 Charter Revision Commission · New York City Charter Revision Commission (COGE) · 2026-07-23 Official record
- 2.COGE Releases 5 Ballot Proposals and Final Report to Make Government Work Better for New Yorkers · NYC Mayor's Office · 2026-07-23 Official record
- 3.Mamdani's Government Efficiency Panel Approves 5 NYC Ballot Proposals · The City Reporter · 2026-07-23 News report
- 4.COGE, not DOGE: Mamdani replaces Adams-era charter commission with his own government efficiency panel · amNewYork News report
- 5.Appendix B: Abstracts of the proposed ballot questions · NYC Commission on Government Efficiency (Charter Revision Commission) · 2026-07-23 Official record
- 6.Commission on Government Efficiency Proposed Final Report · NYC Commission on Government Efficiency (Charter Revision Commission) · 2026-07-23 Official record
- 7.Ballot Proposal 1: statement summaries (2026 General Election Voter Guide) · NYC Campaign Finance Board (NYC Votes) Official record
- 8.2026 NYC Ballot Proposals: What New Yorkers Should Know · Common Cause New York Candidate's own words
- 9.Citizens Union Recommends a Yes Vote on All Five 2026 Charter Proposals · Citizens Union · 2026-10-01 Candidate's own words