BP STRINGER ISSUES CONDITIONAL DISAPPROVAL FOR TIMES SQUARE CONCESSION EXPANSION
Citing the need to ensure pedestrian plazas remain accessible to the public as intended, Manhattan Borough President Scott M. Stringer recommended conditional disapproval of the Department of Transportation’s proposed Times Square Concession. This major concession seeks to triple the space maintained by the Times Square Alliance (TSA), without providing the group any additional funding for maintenance or addressing community concerns over commercial events.
The Uniform Land Use Review Procedure (ULURP) recommendation issued last week by Borough President Stringer calls for the formation of a new working group to create a policy that respects the balance between public open space and revenue-generating private events, and to evaluate the long-term maintenance costs for public plazas.
“The City has invested significantly in transforming Times Square into an accessible public space, and that investment should not be wasted due to a failure to provide ongoing revenue for maintenance,” the Borough President said in his recommendations. “Interested stakeholders must come to the table and find alternative means for raising additional, needed revenue beyond holding more private events that conflict with the space’s role as a pedestrian respite.”
The plazas were originally designed to improve traffic flows and pedestrian movements and to provide open spaces for nearby commercial users. However, in recent years they have become increasingly popular as places to hold special events. While a limited number of events can be appropriate, the high frequency of the events has reduced the spaces’ ability to serve the public for their original purpose. Furthermore, the events are currently not paying for the cost of maintaining the public plazas, putting an increased burden on the local partner, the TSA.
Special events hosted by for-profit groups constitute a large portion of the revenue generated through the proposed concession. Though neither DOT nor TSA plan or execute these events, the manner in which these outside events are executed will determine both the financial feasibility and public benefit of the proposed major concession. These special events are approved and planned by the Street Activity Permit Office, which lacks a concrete set of standards for what is appropriate at an event held in a public plaza. Any large event could have a neighborhood-wide impact by drawing people through local streets, blocking business entrances, and restricting both pedestrian and vehicular traffic.
The Borough President recommended that beginning in January a new working group create:
1. a policy regarding the number and duration of events that are appropriate in public plazas, tailored to the local needs of different plazas;
2. a set of standards regarding what is and is not appropriate at special events conducted in public plazas;
3. an adequate funding mechanism, built into the concession agreement or amended SAPO rules, to provide for required maintenance of the public plazas;
4. a resolution of the conflicting requirements of the multiple permitting agencies in Times Square to create a cohesive set of rules for the area; and
5. a proper system of Community Board notification and comment regarding special events in public plazas.
“It is in the interest of all New Yorkers that we work out these conflicts to ensure the continued success of these unique public spaces,” said Borough President Stringer. “The City needs to plan for these impacts and should alter the rules by which events are permitted to include Community Board consultation and a clear set of standards.”
In November, Community Board 5 voted to disapprove the proposed actions based on similar concerns. The project will continue to move through the City's Uniform Land Use Review Procedure; the next step will be a review by the City Planning Commission followed by a final review by the City Council.