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Manhattan Community Board Five
STATEMENT IN SUPPORT OF NYC BID ASSOCIATION POSITION STREET ON VENDING
At the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of Community Board Five on Thursday, September 10, 2015, the Board passed the following resolution by a vote of 35 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining.
WHEREAS, Community Board Five recognizes the long history of street vending in New York City; and
WHEREAS, We consider the quality of life and public health and safety to be of paramount importance, and are concerned about any expressed interest in relaxing existing laws as they pertain to street vendors without thorough input from all stakeholders, most especially the community; and
WHEREAS, The NYC BID Association ratified a statement on June 18, 2015, calling for a multi-agency task force and study examining street vendor rules and regulations; and
WHEREAS, We believe an inclusive, impartial, and thorough study of street vending should occur before any changes to existing law are considered, with the involvement of all stakeholders in the community; and
WHEREAS, A multi-agency task force comprised of representatives of the myriad agencies currently charged with enforcement, such as the NYPD, the Department of Transportation, and Department of Consumer Affairs, among others, should be incorporated; and
WHEREAS, The current uncoordinated system where multiple agencies seldom communicate with each other, or effectively communicate with street vendors, neither serves the vendor community nor allows for effective and fair enforcement; and
WHEREAS, In a city with many competing claims on public space, Community Boards have long been charged with managing these different interests, and we strongly believe that Community Board Five – and the other community boards throughout the five boroughs – must be part of any discussion on any change to street vendors laws and regulations; therefore it be
RESOLVED, Community Board Five agrees with the NYC BID Association's statement on street vending, which calls for a multi-agency task force and a study examining street vendor rules and regulations.