QUESTION
What efforts is the city making to address storefront vacancies using vacancy data from local laws?
1:06:36
·
4 min
The Department of Small Business Services (SBS) collects data on storefront vacancies across the city every quarter as per local laws 152 and 157.
- SBS uses this data to identify areas with high vacancy rates
- SBS then deploys tools like grants and lighting programs to these areas
- SBS works with local partners to build capacity and identify challenges on commercial corridors
- SBS connects these local groups to its other resources like the Neighborhood 360 team
Gale Brewer
1:06:36
So the question is, how are all of these databases, so to speak?
1:06:42
Helping you whether it's blazes at 152, 157, if it was fully implemented.
1:06:48
Helping you to identify what where the vacancies are and what you're gonna do about them.
1:06:53
They are creating havoc.
1:06:54
They're creating havoc because there is homeless garbage.
1:07:00
The business next door is hurt.
1:07:02
The police have to quote extra time in.
1:07:05
And the owners, as far as I know, don't get a city, state, or federal tax, or write offs.
1:07:11
They may get some depreciation.
1:07:13
We've been talking about this for 30 years.
1:07:15
And so my question is, do you have enough tools?
1:07:18
And if you have the tools, what are you doing with them?
1:07:21
Now, You can can't force an owner to rent.
1:07:25
Right?
1:07:25
I understand that.
1:07:26
But you can have what I did which is we have on the upper west side the law that if you are a you can't come in with a big storefront on Amsterdam, Columbus, get the hell out.
1:07:40
You're not allowed.
1:07:41
40 feet is you know, you can't have a store are bigger than that unless you grandfathered in.
1:07:47
And banks anywhere can have more than 25 feet.
1:07:49
What that does is it helps when the big store comes in, then leaves, you don't have this big space.
1:07:55
So is there some way maybe of cutting up some of these big spaces?
1:07:59
We've lost a lot of Walgreens, a lot of CBSes, for whatever reasons.
1:08:04
And they sit empty.
1:08:06
So my question is, I guess, a bigger question.
1:08:10
I did pass under Amanda Burton, I did pass legislation.
1:08:13
They cut cut the size of the as a zoning discussion.
1:08:18
It's made a huge difference.
1:08:19
You don't see many vacancies when you have to have a small store.
1:08:23
So this vacancy issue, I thought it would and sort of wants the pandemic, and it it has not.
1:08:29
It has continued to be a problem.
1:08:32
So they guess on my question, well, all these different tools What are we doing to be able to address?
1:08:39
Others would like to have a mandated art program in the space.
1:08:43
When no spaces are empty, there's no lighting at night.
1:08:46
There's people creating havoc outside that space.
1:08:50
People are sleeping outside that space.
1:08:52
I understand that.
1:08:53
But it's because it's vacant.
1:08:55
So what can we do with all of this data?
Calvin Brown
1:08:58
Yes.
1:08:58
A very good question.
1:09:00
Council member So as stated with local law 152, we do collect the number of vacancies every 90 days of quarterly.
1:09:10
So we have count of which openings happen city wide at theborough level, council district level, and then where the closings are.
1:09:19
We use that information.
1:09:20
1 to understand where the vacancies are high, and then we use the tools we have like grants.
1:09:28
It was mentioned that we launched a commercial district light in grant.
1:09:32
So those areas that were, you know, the perception of safety, making sure that those areas had an opportunity to increase their level of light in and increase the the level of of safety, but we also have other tools like our grant programs, the CDNA.
Gale Brewer
1:09:45
They don't want grants.
1:09:46
They want loans.
Calvin Brown
1:09:49
They don't want grants.
1:09:50
They want loans.
Gale Brewer
1:09:51
Oh, I was they want grants.
1:09:52
I'm sorry.
1:09:53
They don't want loans.
Calvin Brown
1:09:54
So they
Gale Brewer
1:09:54
they don't even grants, I'm just saying, Lisa Manhattan, it doesn't make a huge You gotta rent.
1:10:00
You gotta rent it.
Calvin Brown
1:10:01
Yeah.
1:10:01
These are these are grants programs that
Gale Brewer
1:10:03
we offer.
Calvin Brown
1:10:04
Yeah.
1:10:04
These are grant programs that we offer.
1:10:06
I mean, part of it to think I stated earlier is that we want to help build the capacity of that local group so that we're giving them the tools to identify those challenges along their commercial corridors on any guarantee that works with us, we expose them to the other resources that SBS has.
1:10:22
Like, I knew your best team.
1:10:24
I complained about sizes, so they can be out there on the quarter.
1:10:27
So it's about using multiple approaches to address this, whether it's our lighter brand, tracking the vacancies, and then working with our local partners.
