The Department of Transportation (DOT) Thursday took a drill and power saw to the 100th derelict outdoor dining shed, much to the delight of locals.
“You are taking it down? Thank you!” one passerby exclaimed as he saw workers descend upon the boarded-up structure on 25 Cleveland Place in Lower Manhattan. “Now let’s get the rest,” another man added.
The mayor’s office has been endeavoring to remove commercial huts that have become a blight on local neighborhoods while keeping structures that meet guidelines intact. The initiative hit a major milestone on Oct. 20, seeing its 100th takedown after the eatery had fallen into disrepair or have failed to be properly maintained — often making such sheds magnets for litterbugs and vermin.