Since 1987, Jerry Delakas has been operating a newsstand outside the downtown 6 entrance on Astor Place. (After a 3-year eviction battle, the city granted him the proper permits in early 2014.)
Now it looks as if Delakas might have competition. A vendor has submitted an application with the city to open a newsstand on the reconstructed Astor Place.
According to materials (PDF) on file ahead of tonight's CB3 Transportation & Public Safety/Environment Committee, the proposed newsstand will be on the northeast corner of Fourth Avenue and Astor Place across from 51 Astor Place/the IBM Watson Building/Death Star.
It appears from a diagram at the CB3 website that the newsstand, facing Fourth Avenue, would be somewhere in this vicinity ... north of the uptown 6 entrance...
A newsstand did not appear on the rendering for the renovated plaza...
We asked William Kelley, executive director of the Village Alliance, the business improvement district that oversees the new Astor Place pedestrian plaza, about the application.
"There was not [another newsstand] included as part of the plan," he said via email. "However, due to First Amendment protections, newsstand applications can be made at any time and at any location that fits the siting criteria," such as distance from building entrances and curbs.
"We will oppose the location," Kelley said, "but the city does not take into account competition with other newsstands, unfortunately."
The meeting tonight is at 6:30 at Downtown Art, in the 1st floor theater, 70 E. Fourth St. between Second Avenue and the Bowery.
17 comments:
A second news stand here seems even crazier than two fro yo shops on the same block.
This is not right. Given the hell the city put Jerry through, I sincerely hope this application is denied. It's hard enough for him, the last thing he needs is some Johnny-come-lately breezing in to try and cash in by taking business away from him.
Unfortunately Jerry D has a great location that he is not taking advantage of.
His hours are irregular. I used that station when I was doing jury duty and more than once the papers were still bundled at 8:00 AM
I have to say I don't think this second newsstand will really impact Jerry's that much if at all. This new one would service people entering and exiting the uptown trains vs Jerry's situated just outside the downtown trains. It seems unlikely that someone exiting the northbound train would have gone south to Jerry's to buy something unless they are heading that way. The same can be said in reverse. Besides ins't there a newsstand still on the platform of the uptown train?
This is all by design:
Open a new newsstand to drive out Jerry's newsstand then close it for no newsstands.
I agree that this looks like it might be a way to push Jerry's newsstand out of business. But it also looks to me like the plan is to put it on the Death Start block, not on the triangle where the Uptown 4,5,6 stairs are. That's at least 3 street crossings away from Jerry's, which seems a little less intrusive and more of an amenity. We lost the news shop at 3rd and St. Mark's a while ago.
Here are a few other things we don't need on Astor Place:
A second Cube
A second Kmart
A second Starbucks
A second Walgreens
A second Death Star
A second Chase bank branch
A second ANYTHING
But we apparently need a second newsstand, if only to drive the infamous EV Grieve poster who used to rant that he hated newsstands because they slowed down pedestrian traffic and somehow got in that little snowflake's way. On second thought, lets make the whole plaza a giant newsstand and let Jerry run it,
They'll oppose a newsstand but they allow an ice cream stand. And the stand is right next to the subway opening. If the fire/police have to get in the station, they are blocked by that pink building and could endanger lives in case of a fire/terrorist attack/police acton. What stupid people. Ice cream trumps safety. Greed trumps the neighborhood. The Village Alliance is a joke. Plant trees. Add benches. Make it a park. ATONE FOR YOUR SINS.
If the approval process is followed and said approval is gained as an end result of following that process, so be it. Competition is healthy.
"If the approval process is followed and said approval is gained as an end result of following that process, so be it. Competition is healthy."
We really need competition in the newsstand industry? "The stand over there sells the NY Times for 5 cents cheaper, I want a discount."
Will it light up and spin on its own?
@12:34pm
There is no need for two newsstands within walking distance of each other when there is one which has been around for almost three decades. Let Jerry's newsstand be the only one. A second one will only cut into his business and most likely force him out of business, and again I think that's the plan.
Will the new newsstand have artesanal chewing gum? If not, forget it.
I bet The Cube is spinning in its grave,
We have to keep in mind that Jerry ran the newsstand illegally, at the detriment of people who would have run it legally. He has no room to complain. Another newsstand is a good idea, in my opinion.
Jerry did not run the newsstand illegally as he's been there for decades and is still there. Whatever mistake/s he made if any were corrected.
Another newsstand is not good because it hurts not only Jerry but itself. Neither newsstand gains from competing with each other.
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