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Transportation & Environment
2017 Street Fair and Block Party Applications
WHEREAS, The Borough of Manhattan holds approximately 190 street fairs each year; and
WHEREAS, Community Board Five hosts approximately 30% of the borough's street fairs, a disproportionate number of events; and
WHEREAS, CB5 is comprised of several distinct neighborhoods, each marked by unique characteristics and possessing an individual identity; and
WHEREAS, Several of these communities host a disproportionate number of street fairs each year, with the Times Square area serving as the prime example with close to 50% of CB5's street fairs; and
WHEREAS, The Street Activity Permit Office (SAPO) requires that a Street Fair community sponsor be "A community-based, documented not-for-profit organization, corporation or the like that has an indigenous relationship to the specific street or geographical community where the Street event is proposed;" and
WHEREAS, 42 "community sponsors" submitted applications to renew permits for street fairs in CB5 for the 2017 calendar year; and
WHEREAS, No new street fair applications were presented proposing new events not previously held in CB5; and
WHEREAS, In recent previous years many community sponsors have had at best only tangential connections to the immediately surrounding area playing host to the sponsored event; and
WHEREAS, In recent years many blocks have been burdened with multiple street fairs in the same year; and
WHEREAS, Current SAPO regulations impose no limits on the number of street fairs permitted on a particular block; and
WHEREAS, Several local stakeholders, including representatives from multiple area Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) expressed serious concerns regarding the existing condition, specifically that some neighborhoods and blocks are disproportionately affected by street fairs and that many street fairs have no connection to the surrounding community; and
WHEREAS, Over the years CB5 has worked with event sponsors to improve the street fair situation; and
WHEREAS, CB5 has consistently advocated for SAPO to implement a system requiring street fairs be located appropriately, within communities related to the sponsor; and
WHEREAS, CB5 recognizes that street fairs are meant to benefit the community as well as the non-profit sponsor; and
WHEREAS, Many of the individual neighborhoods within CB5 are often busier on weekend than weekdays, making weekend street fairs more of a burden than a benefit; and
WHEREAS, SAPO's rules specifically call for community sponsors to have an "indigenous relationship to the specific street or geographical community district;" and
WHEREAS, CB5 recognizes it is in the interest of the district as a whole to strictly enforce this relationship going forward; and
WHEREAS, CB5 also recognizes the importance of ensuring individual blocks are not overly-burdened with more than 3 street events each year going forward; and
WHEREAS, CB5 recognizes that it would be unfair to impose strict guidelines on the applicants without sufficient notice, therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five approves the street fair applications for the calendar year 2017; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five will require all future community sponsors seeking a permit or a renewal of a permit for a street fair within the borders of Community Board Five to provide detailed information showing an indigenous relationship to the specifically proposed street fair location or CB5 reserves the option to recommend denial of the application if such a location is not utilized; and be it further
RESOLVED, In 2018 and afterward, Community Board Five will approve no more than 3 of these street fairs in a calendar year on a given block; we reserve the option to recommend denial of applications if a block will be burdened by more than three events in a calendar year and alternate locations cannot be utilized; and be it further
RESOLVED, Community Board Five urges SAPO to work with CB5 to establish reasonable guidelines for addressing Street Fairs for 2018 and afterward