COMMUNITY OFFICE CHAIRPERSON

37-32 75TH STREET, 1ST FLOOR FINANCE

JACKSON HEIGHTS, NY 11372
TEL: (718) 803-6373 COMMITTEES
FAX: (718) 803-9832 EDUCATION
AGING
CITY HALL OFFICE CIVIL SERVICE & LABOR
250 BROADWAY, ROOM 1826
NEW YORK, NY 10007
THE COUNCIL OF IMMIGRATION
CIVIL RIGHTS
TEL: (212) 788-7066 THE CITY OF NEW YORK
Email: dromm@council.nyc.gov DANIEL DROMM TH

COUNCIL MEMBER, 25 DISTRICT, QUEENS

March 14, 2019

Lorelei Salas, Commissioner

New York City Department of Consumer Affairs
42 Broadway
New York, NY 10004

Polly Trottenberg, Commissioner

New York City Department of Transportation
55 Water Street
New York, NY 10041

Signe Nielsen, President

Public Design Commission of the City of New York
City Hall, Third Floor
New York, NY 10007

Dear Commissioners Salas and Trottenberg, and President Nielsen:

I am writing to you out of deep concern regarding a newsstand in front of 7610 37th Avenue in
Jackson Heights. Since before the installation of this newsstand, I have voiced concerns about
the impact on pedestrian safety, among other issues. Now that the stand appears permanently
shuttered, I ask that you revoke the license and remove the structure.

Except for a brief period after it was installed in June 2016, this stand has not been in operation.
More than simply a nuisance, it has become what I initially feared: an obstruction to pedestrians
and a magnet for graffiti and litter.

Jackson Heights, one of the most population-dense areas of Queens, struggles with pedestrian
safety concerns. The sidewalks along 37th Avenue are always crowded, and pedestrians often
have to walk into the roadway during peak hours. The process for installing the newsstand relied
on a 2011 Department of Transportation foot-traffic study. I contended that these data were
outdated at the time. Now, eight years after the study, foot traffic has increased even more.

While the Department of Consumer Affairs typically seeks input from community boards for all
newsstand applications, this stand was approved without elected officials’ or the community’s
knowledge or consent. If we were consulted, we would have informed the Department that the
37th Avenue corridor is home to many small, independently-owned stores that sell essentially the
same type of merchandise as the newsstand.

Once the community and I became aware, we vociferously objected. This newsstand has never
benefited the community. Rather, it infringes upon valuable sidewalk space. In fact, the deaths
of pedestrians at that and nearby intersections show that our community cannot sacrifice safety
for a derelict eyesore.

Jackson Heights beseeches you to revoke the license and then remove this non-operating
structure so that the sidewalk can revert to the public.

Thank you for your attention to this matter. If you have any questions, please feel free to contact
me at (718) 803-6373.

Sincerely,

Daniel Dromm
Chair, Committee on Finance

cc: Nicole Garcia, Queens Borough Commissioner

New York City Department of Transportation