Store owners already
challenged by COVID-19 regulations
and the resulting
lockdowns and other onerous
regulations have an additional
hurdle to overcome:
the increased presence of
street vendors, many of
whom are illegal. According
to the Street Vendor Project,
an advocacy group, “There
are as many as 20,000 street
vendors in New York City —
hot dog vendors, flower vendors,
t-shirt vendors, street
artists, fancy food trucks,
and many others.”
The New York City Council
has just passed legislation,
Intro 1116, that lifts
the permit cap by 4,000. Until
that legislation, there
were 2,900 citywide vendors
and 5,100 total permits. The
legislation was sponsored
by Council Members Margaret
S.Chin and Carlos
Menchaca.
The concept of the legislation
pits brick and mortar
merchants against street
vendors.
Brick and mortar stores
become a fabric of their communities
in a way that transient
vendors do not. They
contribute to the permanent
improvement of neighborhoods
and provide employment
opportunities, all at
significant expense and risk
to owners.
That 5,100 figure is just
the official number. The vast
quantity of street vendors
have never bothered, and
even with the increase many
will probably not bother, to
get permits. Last June, the
Mayor’s Office instructed the
New York City Police Department
to cease enforcement of
street vendor regulations.
NYPD’s Peddler’s Task Force
has been disbanded.
The results have been significant.
A Daily News article
described the situation
in just one Bronx neighborhood:
“In the four blocks between
the Grand Concourse
and Jerome Ave., no fewer
than 20 vendors — most of
them unlicensed — hawk
their wares: shirts, masks,
hats, iPhone cases, boots,
perfume, jewelry, masks
again, handbags, cooked food
and fruits. Some sell their
goods outside stores selling
the same merchandise.”
The New York Post described
the problem as well:
“Live crabs. Bras with rhinestones.
Old shoes. Frayed
electrical cords. Knock-off
Louis Vuitton clutches. Disposable
face masks. Mets
caps. Illegal street peddlers
hawking such items have
taken over the outer boroughs,
clogging sidewalks
with their second-hand
wares and pulling customers
from pandemic-ravaged
mom-and-pop shops.”
Local communities have
been feeling the effects. A
Spectrum NY1report emphasized
that “Tons of
street vendors are popping
up across the city. It’s leaving
sidewalks packed and
some businesses upset.” It
noted that sidewalks have
become clogged.
Numerous objections include
the blocking of sidewalks,
questionable quality
and safety of merchandise,
sanitary issues, danger
from generators or cooking
devices, and other concerns.
Intro 1116 establishes
“Street Vendor Advisory
Board” consisting of the
commissioner of consumer
and worker protection, the
commissioner of health and
mental hygiene, the commissioner
of small business
services, the commissioner
of transportation, and the
police commissioner, six
members appointed by the
City Council sSpeaker, two
of whom represent street
vendors, one of whom represent
the small business
community, one of whom
represents organizations
representing workers at retail
food stores, one of whom
represents property owners
and one of whom who represents
a community organization,
and four members
appointed by the mayor, two
of whom represent street
vendors and two of whom
represent the small business
community.
BY COUNCILMAN
MARK GJONAJ
My offi ce’s snow removal
program has been a success
so far this winter season! In
partnership with Wildcat Service
Corporation—an organization
that offers transitional
work to unemployed persons
with criminal convictions,
and with whom my offi ce has
had the pleasure of working
with on a number of cleanup
and community efforts—we
have offered a snow shoveling
service for our district’s
seniors. Allocating funds for
essential community services
like this, that improve safety,
has been a priority of my offi
ce’s budgeting practice.
After the major snow
storm that struck last weekend,
several senior’ homes
throughout the district were
shoveled, improving safety
for this group made vulnerable
often by winter storms.
By clearing driveways, walkways
and doorways of slick ice
and snow, we can minimize
the number of fall events experienced
by seniors. That’s
also not too mention the inconvenience
of obstructing
snowfall.
This year’s shoveling and
snow removal services began
back in December, where we
cleared the way for residents
all over the district, including
Country Club and Morris
Park. It is remarkable how
much snow this program has
removed, and the gratitude of
our district’s seniors and residents
makes this experience
all the more empowering.
On another note related to
storms and snowfall—which
have once again caused disproportionate
levels of outages
in the outer boroughs, including
our very own Bronx—I
have introduced a bill that
would study the feasibility of
moving above-ground power
underground. The key differentiating
variable in the difference
in outage between
Manhattan and the rest of the
city is that Manhattan has
underground-ed their power.
If you experience an outage
of any kind, but particularly
those that are related to
storms, report it to Con Edison
at 1-(800) 752-6633.
For information related
to all community efforts and
projects being led by my offi
ce, please contact me at either
MGjonaj@council.nyc.
gov or at (718) 931-1721.
BRONX TIMES REPORTER,BTR FEBRUARY 12-18, 2021 39
CIVIC CENTER
Throggs Neck
Business
Improvement District
From Councilman Mark Gjonaj
No School. Let it snow. St. Helena Snow Day
Not everyone is upset about the prospect of more snow for Monday and Tuesday. St. Helena students made
snow angels to celebrate the snow. Photo courtesy of St. Helena
link
/S.Ch
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