NEW YORK — With the holiday season quickly approaching, Rockefeller Center is preparing for the crowds of people visiting the tree or going shopping.

But now there's a proposal to create more space for pedestrians in that area and not just during the holidays.

It would make permanent the traffic changes put in place during the 2019 holiday season.

Under the plan, 49th and 50th streets would be off limits to vehicle traffic between Fifth and Sixth avenues.

Rockefeller Center is located in the middle of the intersections.

Both Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer and City Councilman Keith Powers told the DOT they strongly support this proposal.

"We want to program it," said Powers. "Eventually put some outdoor seating, maybe do some outdoor dining outside there. It's silly to have two streets running through the plaza. And instead we're saying let's use our imaginations and be creative. So you can program it better, make it safer, and you can really lean into the concept of pedestrianization, versus just throwing up some barriers."

Some drivers are concerned that street closures to cars and trucks will increase traffic congestion. But some people argue that if the city can manage street closures around Rockefeller Center during the holidays, the busiest driving days of the year, it can be done all year round.