5 BRONX WEEKLY May 24, 2020 www.BXTimes.com
Mayor to sign small business COVID-19 relief bills into law
BY JASON COHEN
A package of COVID-19 relief
bills which were passed
by the City Council two weeks
ago, will be signed into law by
the mayor next week.
On May 26, Bill de Blasio
will offi cially approve the measures
created by elected offi -
cials, including three from the
Bronx.
The legislation will remain
in effect for the duration of the
state of emergency and an additional
90 days thereafter.
Mark Gjonaj chair of the
small business committee
sponsored four bills, including
two that would cap the amount
of commission a third-party
delivery service is allowed to
charge at 15 percent per order
for delivery and 5 percent
per order for all other types of
charges. Another bill would
prevent third-party delivery
platforms from charging restaurants
for telephone orders
that did not result in a transaction.
Andrew Cohen, chair of the
Consumer Affairs and Business
Licensing Committee,
sponsored a bill that would
require the city to waive and/
or refund all revocable consent
fees for unenclosed sidewalk
cafes due between March
1, 2020 and Feb. 28, 2021. Enclosed
sidewalk café consent
fees would be waived for the
duration of the Mayor’s Emergency
Executive Order.
Though sidewalk café consent
fees vary depending on
the size, location and whether
it is enclosed or unenclosed,
they cost businesses citywide
thousands of dollars annually.
Most restaurants pay these
fees in a four-part installment
plan over a one-year period at
a monthly interest rate of 1.5
percent. Given the signifi cant
losses restaurants have suffered,
many will not have the
ability to pay the remaining
payments.
Ritchie Torres, chair of the
Council’s Committee on Public
Housing, sponsored a bill that
will expand the defi nition of
harassment to include threats
against an individual based on
their status as a COVID-19 impacted
person, their status as
an essential employee, or their
receipt of a rental concession
or forbearance. Violations of
this legislation would be punishable
by a civil penalty of
$2,000 to $10,000. Mayor to sign small business COVID-19 relief bills into law Courtesy of Flickr/Mayor’s de Blasio’s offi ce
Bronx Night Market company introduces Uptown Drive-In Experience
Flyer promoting the event Courtesy of Marco Shalma
BY JASON COHEN
As the state slowly begins
to reopen, one organization
is trying to bring
a sense of normalcy for
people.
Marco Shalma, owner
of MASC Hospitality
Group, the New Yorkbased
company responsible
for the Bronx Night
Market and the Bronx
Beer Festival, announced
Friday that he is launching
Uptown Drive-In Experience.
The series, slated to
start in July, will be located
in a parking lot by
Yankee Stadium. It will
feature NYC’s top food
and beverage vendors,
performances by local
artists, live interactive
games, raffl es, giveaways
and a feature presentation.
The project, which he
has been working on this
since late March, is in anticipation
of NYC’s scaled
reopening.
“The idea is to create
a way for New Yorkers
to enjoy a few fun-fi lled
hours of culture in a safe
and social distancing environment,”
Shalma said.
“This is going to be more
than just a movie.”
People can either attend
the family friendly
brunch or the date-night
version with an all inclusive
sold-online only
ticket. The series has
limited availability and
people are advised to join
the wait list.
He is working with
elected offi cial and small
businesses to prepare the
event and city and state
authorities to guarantee
proper COVID-19 related
procedures and precautions
are applied.
“People just want see
activities and start seeing
a sense of normalization,”
he said. “We want
to see the culture come
back. What’s really exciting
is all the powers in
the Bronx are coming together
to help us do that.”
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