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Consents & Variances
Newsstand Application #1342402, SEC West 56th Street and 6th Avenue
WHEREAS, The applicant is proposing a newsstand on the southeast corner (SEC) of West 56th Street & 6th Avenue; and
WHEREAS, The proposed newsstand would have a negative impact on pedestrian traffic (which is already very heavy in this major office corridor, with even heavier traffic during the holiday season with Rockefeller Center, Radio City, and Central Park nearby) and further add to congestion and create an unsafe condition; and
WHEREAS, There are three (3) other newsstands nearby, on 55th Street and 6th Avenue and on the southwest and northeast corners of West 57th Street and 6th Avenue, and a Universal News/UPS retailer across from the corner (Westside of 6th Avenue near 56th Street) that sells essentially the same items that the Applicant would sell; and
WHEREAS, Safety is a crucial concern for Community Board Five, with 2,000 pedestrians having been killed in motor vehicle accidents on the streets of New York City in the past 12 years and on average about 35 pedestrians being struck by motor vehicles in NYC everyday; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five recognizes that the newsstand applicants are usually individuals and small business owners (often minorities or recent immigrants) and urges the Department of Small Business Services to assist applicants in the cumbersome application process; therefore be it
RESOLVED, That Community Board Five recommends denial of the application to install a newsstand at the SEC West 56th Street & 6th Avenue; and be it further
RESOLVED, That Community Board Five urges DOT to proceed with the pedestrian count at the location at rush hour (5 PM- 6 PM) on a weekday, and be it further
RESOLVED, That in recognizing that the cost of applying for a newsstand is very high for the applicant, including the cost of hiring professionals to assist with the application, Community Board Five requests that DCA refund the application fee for applications that are denied.
The above resolution passed by a vote of 36 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining.