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Consents & Variances
Newsstand Application #1356803, N/W/C West 43rd Street and 5th Avenue.
Dear Deputy Director Gotay:
At the regularly scheduled monthly meeting of Community Board Five on Thursday, July 8, 2010, the Board passed the following resolution :
WHEREAS, The applicant is proposing a newsstand on the N/W/C West 43rd Street and 5th Avenue; and
WHEREAS, The proposed newsstand would have a negative impact on pedestrian traffic, which is already very heavy, and add to congestion and create an unsafe condition; and
WHEREAS, There are two (2) other newsstands one block away; and
WHEREAS, Community Board 5 has a moratorium on newsstands on 5th Avenue, and echoes the concerns of the Design Commission who said :"The Commission notes that the zoned, Fifth Avenue Special Business District has exceptional visual corridors and that the addition of any obstruction, including planters and newsstands will severely detract from its attractiveness and effectiveness."
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 5 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 N/W/C West 43rd Street and 5th 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 26 in favor; 0 opposed; 1 abstaining.