Senator Ramos revealing report that shows good relationship between storefront business owners and street vendors (Office of State Sen. Ramos)
April 8, 2019 By Meghan Sackman
State Senator Jessica Ramos released a study Thursday revealing that the relationship between street vendors and storefront shop owners is far from adversarial–despite popular perception saying otherwise.
Ramos said that the findings support her argument that the city should increase the number of permits issued to mobile food vendors. She said she is urging council members to back a bill that would lift the number of food-vending permits from 5,100 to about 9,100, a number that has not change since 1983.
The report, titled Sidewalk & the Storefront, focuses on the relationship between street vendors and storefront owners and was based on dozens of interviews conducted on the Upper East Side, in Nolita, Sunset Park, and Jackson Heights/Corona.
The report, authored by Kathryn “Kurt” Wheeler for her master’s degree in City and Regional Planning at the Pratt Institute, found that contrary to traditional belief, brick-and-mortar business owners typically do not see vendors as a threat.
Ramos discussed the report at a rally in support of street vendors held at the corner of Roosevelt Avenue and Junction Boulevard in Corona last week.
“This research confirms what we know in Queens,” Ramos said at the rally. “Vendors are our neighbors – they are part of the fabric of our small business community, and they work together alongside our store owners, who often got their start as vendors themselves.”
There will be a hearing on the bill, which was introduced by Council Member Margaret Chin in September 2018, on Thursday April 11 at 10 a.m. at City Hall. Members of the advocacy group Street Vendor Project will be holding a rally in support of the bill at City Hall that morning at 9 a.m.
The group says that the currently low cap on food vending permits puts many vendors in the dangerous position of either having to pay a high price for an underground market permit or operating without a permit and risk their business getting shut down.
“Mayor de Blasio claims that helping street vendors will harm store owners, but that claim has been proven false,” said Mohamed Attia, co-director of the Street Vendor Project at the Urban Justice Center.
Mayor de Blasio’s office has yet to respond for comment.
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22 Comments
More lies from Ramos, she really is turning Jackson Heights into a getto. All she cares about is more money for city hall and her higher taxes to pay for her entitlements.
City should paid boxes on sidewalks there street carts can stand and if they stick out over the line that’s a fine. Some areas get super crowded and it’s impossible to get thru. Same for store fronts – especially clowns displaying their ratchets clothes on 82nd Street between Roosevelt and 37th.
I don’t mind the vendors and have seen them scrubbing the sidewalk on 75th and Roosevelt. However in some areas where it is crowded they do take up sidewalk space making it hard for older folks like my mom to navigate around them. Adding more is just not the right way to go, there needs to be limits.
Pat Macnamaracist can you ask them to unplug the computer at your nursing home?
As a resident of Jackson Heights living there for almost 30 years. I have seen the neighborhood going thru its ups and downs. I can tell you that Roosevelt Ave. is filthy there are too many vendors. The sidewalks has always been gross. People screaming their products to sell and with the noise from the 7 train, it makes it even more unbearable. However, now with the gentrification that is happening in the area all of a sudden its a big problem. For years it was filthy and no one said or did anything about it. My question to you now is?
a) Is it because you really care about the neighborhood?
b) Is it because of the new construction and the new people that the building owners are trying to attract and to raise their rents they want to make the streets look nicer for their benefit $$$ only?
C’mon now. Stop all the negativity and embrace the diversity. The lack of toilet facilities in these carts only adds to the spiciness of the tacos. Personally I prefer the beanbag special with extra sauce.
I think street meat is extremely unhealthy and deleterious to the public health. Also, those gasoline engines running all day are extremely bad for the environment and those with respiratory health conditions. Where do they wash their hands after engaging in financial transactions with unclean money before and after serving food? Where does all the garbage go? Do they clean up the messes created by their customers? I have never seen it. Moreover, how do we pay for all the freeloaders if we do not collect taxes from the brick and mortars that will do business elsewhere (outside NYC) where they would never have to compete under unequal conditions? This policy of increasing the number of street vendors is one that favors tax cheats who create unclean/unhealthy conditions for the communities where they exist; this will result in diet related problems for the people who eat this junk, e.g. diabetes, obesity, food poisoning, etc. I wonder who will pay for their healthcare? Lastly, (because it is not that important) it will make the neighborhood look terrible aesthetically. It would be nicer to support the businesses in the neighborhood by getting them tax credits, legal assistance fighting DOH and DOB summonses/tickets, promotional campaigns for neighborhood restaurants, etc. I sure hope the street meat slinger crowd votes (I doubt it) for your sake Ms. Ramos.
I think they should raise the cap on permits, but these vendors need to meet the same Health Dept. standards as everyone else. The vendors have no incentive to invest in decent equipment if they are at risk of getting shut down at a moment’s notice for operating without a permit.
I get off the 7 at junction, and every day I have to hold my breath as I walk down the stairs because there is a billowing cloud of smoke from a lady grilling meat on a shopping cart. She should be able to make a living, but this intersection is disgusting. As others have said, there are enormous piles of trash that you can smell from a block away in the summer, and there are rats everywhere at night. Meanwhile, there is a health department building three blocks away on 34th avenue. This situation is a disgrace.
Sheesh the headline is a moutful
The garbage cans in that area, are like Mt. Everest. It attracts rats and other vermin when they aren’t cleaned. The sidewalks are often sticky until the heavy rains come. I’ve even seen graffiti on closed storefront doors when the store closes up shop. It shows a lack of decency. I’ve seen too many turnstile jumpers of late. One right after another at 82nd Street one day. There’s so many closing stores in JH, the food vendors don’t have much of a chance as there’s no foot traffic in the area when the store’s close.
First, Ramos is referring to a “study’ that is not even published. I’ve been looking all over for that “study” to no avail. I would like to know what scientific methodology was used if any, since anyone can make up a bogus “study” to promote an agenda. Second, it is hard to believe that storefront owners would have a good relationship with people who don’t pay rent, don’t keep the sidewalk clean, don’t follow the rules, and make the area look like a third world public market. Again, Ramos is a disgrace, we need to make her a one term state senator.
>First, Ramos is referring to a “study’ that is not even published.
That is completely false, maybe if you were informed at all you wouldn’t rant so much:
https://www.scribd.com/document/404310880/The-Sidewalk-the-Storefront
>people who don’t pay rent, don’t keep the sidewalk clean, don’t follow the rules
Do you have any evidence to support this, or just your run-of-the-mill Trump voter racism?
The report reads like it was written by a 7th grader. “The general vendor selling leather accessories at the corner of 54th Street and 5th Ave said he is good friends with the workers at the Payless Shoe Source he sells in front of, and they often let him use the bathroom and duck inside when the weather gets bad. He also said that all the local police know him, so he has not had trouble with violations lately, although he used to have more problems when he was starting out.” and this gem, “There is a busy grilled corn vendor located in front of the 82nd Newsstand on the Southwest corner of 82nd and Roosevelt. Despite the sidewalk crowding caused by the popular vendor and the smoke the cart emits, the bodega employee said he did not believe it had any negative impact on his business” This is an embarrassment. An employee doesn’t give a shit about vendors. Ask the OWNERS-they asked a few employees/managers. This is a disgrace
Your speculations are boring
let do that one term this lady is a disgrace now she wants prostitute to be legal imagined
Roosevelt ave full of undesirable people asking every girl that pass by for sex
The protestors are probably MS-13 thanks to DeBlasio letting in immagrants
I know exactly where she is standing in that picture, and that area of Junction Blvd and Rossevelt Ave, is disgusting. I am all for street vendors, however they block the sidewalk , do not clean after themselves (both vendors and customers), the streets and garbage cans are over flowing and there is no one keeping them in line. Then to top it off, they are all by the staircases to the 7 Train, and you have people blocking the stairs, or even better , sitting on the steps! And we can’t forget about all the cars that double park so they can get out of their cars to buy food, and that intersections is quite a busy one. There has to be a more organized way of letting street vendors sell (in certain areas) without it interfering with the heavy foot and car traffic in that area.
Send ICE over there and you won’t have any vendors, customers, filth, or crime. Enough is enough
Kinda sad that you assume everyone in that area is an illegal.
82nd Street has an organization, made up of business owners, government officials, community leaders…that help maintain a couple of blocks. They still have street vendors and you don’t see the trash, or chaos that you do on Junction. Organization would go far if the business owners put their part. Same goes for Roosevelt…starting on 82nd st…all the way up to Junction Blvd, ESPECIALLY 88th-90th. If the city put guidelines, that are would look a lot better.
Not sad. Just fact-based. Please prove me wrong. You won’t be able to
The burden of proof is on you to prove that “everyone in that area is an illegal.”
Please share your sources, or is this just blind speculation from another racist Trump supporter.
That which is stated without evidence can be dismissed without evidence.
Good idea: heavily enforce and ticket double parking