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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Evan Sweet, Director of Neighborhood Operations at Meatpacking Business Improvement District
2:15:38
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118 sec
Evan Sweet, representing the Meatpacking Business Improvement District, expresses concerns about the proposed expansion of street vending permits. He argues that increased vending creates challenges for pedestrian access, storefront visibility, and public space management, undermining the BID's efforts to maintain the neighborhood.
- Sweet acknowledges the economic importance of vending but emphasizes the need for structural changes to vending policy before expanding permits.
- He calls for legislation that addresses enforcement issues and provides a framework for integrating vendors without negatively impacting brick-and-mortar businesses and public spaces.
- The testimony criticizes the proposed legislation for falling short in addressing these concerns and potentially exacerbating existing challenges.
Evan Sweet
2:15:38
Check, yep.
2:15:40
Good day, chairman and council members.
2:15:42
My name is Evan Sweet.
2:15:43
I'm the director of neighborhood operations for the Meatpacking Business Improvement District.
2:15:47
The bid is responsible for managing and maintaining one of New York City's premier live, work, and play cultural districts on Manhattan's West Side.
2:15:55
The Meatpacking bid provides comprehensive range of supplemental services, including sanitation, landscaping, public space management, all of which collectively ensure our neighborhood remains clean, safe, and welcoming for residents, businesses, and visitors alike.
2:16:09
These services are undermined by proliferation of mobile food and goods vendors which seriously infringe on pedestrians' rights of way, frequently block access to storefronts, fire hydrants, pollute catch basins with cooking grease, and undermine investments in the public realm.
2:16:23
Things that have made the meat packing district's public spaces so successful.
2:16:27
While some believe the existing vending rules are enough to deal with limited bad actors, our daily experience managing New York's public realm tells a different story.
2:16:35
Each day vending creates a list of issues that are unaddressed by the city and outside of the bid's ability to change.
2:16:42
If it were any other industry, the matter would be swiftly addressed and legislation proposed to fix and not fumble this matter.
2:16:51
We understand that properly regulated vendors are an important component of our city's diverse economy and cultural fabric and for many a mobile street vending permit is a path to economic opportunity.
2:17:00
However we believe that simply expanding the number of permits without substantive structural changes to the city's vending policy will further complicate street vending and lead to worse outcomes across the five boroughs.
2:17:11
Any legislation must directly address the city's inability to enforce existing vending rules and should provide a comprehensive framework for integrating street vendors into the urban landscape as to not be a detriment to brick and mortar businesses, public realm stewards and the pedestrian experience.
2:17:25
Today's legislation falls short and thus only exacerbates the range of challenges directly caused by poorly regulated street vending which bids and communities across the city struggle to manage.
2:17:35
Thank you.