TESTIMONY
Taylor James, Staff Attorney for Community Development Project at Legal Aid Society, on Protecting Small Businesses from Commercial Displacement and Unregulated Rent Increases
1:32:54
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128 sec
Taylor James testified about the threat of displacement faced by New York City's small businesses, especially minority-owned and low-income businesses, due to excessive rent hikes by landlords.
- James provided an example of a Washington Heights restaurant owner who, along with 7 other Latinx-owned businesses, received eviction notices or had to pay doubled rents of $5,000 per month.
- With no laws preventing such rent increases, long-term commercial tenants lack protections to ensure stability and risk losing their life savings.
- Gentrifying neighborhoods are seeing the displacement of Black and brown-owned businesses due to high rents and storefront vacancies.
- The Legal Aid Society recommended that the Small Business Services (SBS) address landlords' unregulated ability to increase rents excessively and keep storefronts vacant to combat this commercial displacement issue.
Taylor James
1:32:54
Thank you for this opportunity to comment on the storefront.
1:32:57
Thank you.
1:32:57
Sees.
1:32:58
My name is Taylor James, and I'm a staff attorney with the legal aid society's community development project.
1:33:04
A unit that a addresses some of the most urgent problems facing New York City's small businesses, including the threat of displacement.
1:33:13
We were with grassroots organizations to help make sure that people of color, immigrants, and other low income residents that have helped in building our city are not displaced.
1:33:23
Through our representation of commercial tenants, meeting with community organizers and supporting small businesses, unrelated rents continue to be a common concern when discussing commercial displacement.
1:33:37
For entrepreneurs displaced by excessive rent increases, Finding a new brick and mortar location for their business venture is a huge challenge.
1:33:45
We were tuned we're tunedly here from commercial tenants that are at risk of displacement.
1:33:51
It is important to note that these mom and pop businesses have the most profound effect on the character and social fabric of the neighborhoods experiencing this phenomenon.
1:34:02
For example, our client, a Washington Heights restaurant owner 40 years, was given an eviction notice along with 7 other Latinx owned businesses.
1:34:12
The business owners were each given the option of paying a higher rent and for the restaurant and essentially double the current rate 5000 a month.
1:34:20
Our client could not afford that option since there is no law preventing a landlord from doubling the rent.
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A long term tenant has no protection to ensure stability.
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In this in the process, much is lost, and an eviction meant our client was not only losing a restaurant, but their life savings.
1:34:38
Black and brown owned businesses in gentrifying areas are still at risk of displacement due the cost of rent and storefront vacancies.
1:34:45
When they cannot afford to renew or enter into at least these neighborhoods transform physically, and culturally.
1:34:51
The legal aid society recommends when addressing storefront vacancies, SBS, should address landlord's unregulated ability to increase rent and hold storefronts vacant.
