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Extension of Street Fair Moratorium for Calendar Year 2025

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Rule status: Adopted

Agency: CECM-SAPO

Effective date: December 27, 2024

Proposed Rule Full Text
CECM-SAPO-Proposed-Extension-of-Street-Fair-Moratorium.pdf

Adopted Rule Full Text
CECM-SAPO-Proposed-Extension-of-Street-Fair-Moratorium-FINAL-RULE-Legal-14971611_220341-KB.pdf

Hearing transcript
SAPO-RULE-CHANGE-HEARING-TRANSCRIPT-11202024-1.pdf

Adopted rule summary:

Notice of Adoption of Final Rule regarding a public hearing about the amendment was first published on October 21, 2024, with a hearing held November 20, 2024, and the agency accepting comments until November 20, 2024. Approximately 11 comments were received. Among all comments, 7 people misunderstood what the proposed rule provided and thought that SAPO would deny all block parties in calendar year 2025 instead of newly proposed street fairs. SAPO also received comments from some community organizations and residents in support of the extension of this existing street fair moratorium. The agency is prepared to make available for public inspection all written and oral comments it received on the matter, within a reasonable time after receipt, between the hours of 9:30 A.M. and 4:30 P.M. at the Office of Citywide Events Coordination and Management, 253 Broadway, 6th Floor, New York, New York 10007. Statement of Basis and Purpose: To more effectively deploy police resources and control overtime costs, the New York City Police Department has recommended that SAPO exercise its discretion to deny permit applications for new multi-block/multi-day street fair events in calendar year 2025. This rule authorizes SAPO to deny permit applications for street fairs if the street fair was not held in the calendar year 2024. Events that received permits in calendar year 2024 may be eligible to receive permits again in calendar year 2025.

Comments are now closed.

Online comments: 12

  • Sandra Reid

    N/A

    Comment added October 21, 2024 5:19pm
  • Jessica Ochoa Hendrix

    I love block parties and street fairs, which I think are emblematic of New York City. Balancing resources is tough, but moratoriums on permitted street fairs and block parties are not the best solution. Perhaps additional funds could be raised by prioritizing ticketing double parked cars?

    Comment added October 21, 2024 6:32pm
  • Tom Harris

    My name is Tom Harris and I am the President of the Times Square Alliance, the business improvement district that exists to make Times Square clean, safe, and desirable for all. Times Square is a neighborhood unlike any other in New York City, known for its vibrant plaza space, iconic arts, culture, and theatre programming, and active pedestrian flows. While we recognize the benefits of street fairs, particularly in neighborhoods looking to attract additional visitors, more street fairs would adversely affect our already overburdened district.

    The Alliance and its stakeholders actively program our streets and plazas with art and events that highlight and complement the unique nature of our neighborhood. With pedestrian counts exceeding 300,000 people, street fairs add chaos to our already congested neighborhood. This moratorium does not eliminate all street fairs, instead capping additional street fair applications for the 2025 calendar year. Times Square is already home to a disproportionate number of street fairs, hosting 10% of all street fairs city wide, despite representing only .1% of the city’s land area. This moratorium will ensure that NYC continues to benefit from the more than 200 street fairs already permitted each year without further congesting neighborhoods like ours.

    Thank you.

    Comment added October 22, 2024 12:30pm
  • Jeremy Kopman

    Block parties are an essential part of building safe and thriving communities. There would be no excuse for banning them for any period of time. The NYPD can certainly find other activities to reduce to make the small amount of time needed to process permits and occasionally install barriers.

    Comment added October 24, 2024 11:03am
  • Renason Bunbury

    The yearly block party we have on our block is the only time all our neighbors get to interact. Although the city is considered a melting pot it does not feel that way because decisions are being made that make us more isolated. City officials should work hard to keep rules in places that supports the community getting together

    Comment added October 24, 2024 6:04pm
  • Cathleen Shannon - A Better College Point Civic Association

    Bock parties & street fairs play a vital role in building and strengthening community bonds. These events bring people together, fostering social connections, and promote community engagement. There must be a way to balance safety and community needs without cutting these vital community events.

    Comment added November 4, 2024 10:37pm
  • Eric Peterson

    Please do not extend the moratorium on street fair applications. While some areas, particularly midtown and uws are saturated, other areas are not, and would benefit from these events.

    Further, granfathering in old applicants puts less-established people and those with new ideas and energy at a disadvantage.

    Comment added November 7, 2024 3:20pm
  • Annie Ferdous

    Block Parties and Street Fairs are essential for the multicultural communities to showcase their traditional arts. There are lack of indoor spaces and hard to get for organize events.

    Comment added November 7, 2024 3:21pm
  • Sandra reid

    Block parties is every for the summer for the kids to come out have fun just wish they could extend the time from six to seven pm

    Comment added November 7, 2024 4:04pm
  • Diana Sanabria

    I have been hosting a block party on my street for the past 24 years without incident. I have never had to call NYPD to assist us. The parties run smoothly and the children and neighbors look forward to it every year. Annually we foster community and build on friendships and welcome new neighbors. We have multiple ethnicities that live on our block thus we are multi-cultural and multi-lingual and celebrate us all. To remove this low-cost event from a NYC community would demoralize us and would feel like NYC gov’t does not care.

    Comment added November 8, 2024 9:01am
  • Michael Sutherland (Open Plans)

    Open Plans writes today in regard to new proposed rules on the extension of the moratorium on street fairs. We strongly oppose the extension of the street fair moratorium, and believe the justification of avoiding police overtime is illogical and neglects the importance of public space management. Further comments on these points are in the attached testimony.

    Comment attachment
    Open-Plans-Testimony-11-20-24-CECM-SAPO-Rules-Hearing.pdf
    Comment added November 14, 2024 3:57pm
  • Barbara A. Blair

    My name is Barbara Blair and I am the President of the Garment District Alliance, the business improvement district created to make the Garment District clean, safe, and desirable to live, do business or visit. The Garment District in midtown Manhattan is an iconic NYC neighborhood that is transitioning from its apparel design and manufacturing roots into a diverse 24/7 neighborhood.

    With two major interstate transportation hubs and over 50 hotels, the district enjoys robust pedestrian traffic which, in turn, makes judicious management of the public realm a priority for public safety and enjoyment. While we recognize the benefits of street fairs, particularly in neighborhoods looking to attract additional visitors, more street fairs here would adversely affect our already overburdened district and public spaces with no local benefit.

    The Alliance and its stakeholders actively program our streets and plazas with public art installations, events, horticulture and street furniture to enhance the pedestrian experience. We develop and provide amenities and services that benefit our residents, business employees, and visitors in relation to the needs and conditions of our neighborhood. As we also deal with crime and social issues in the same space, adding outside events and elements does not help.

    While beneficial to some NYC neighborhoods, street fairs only add chaos to our already congested neighborhood. This moratorium on additional street fairs for the 2025 calendar year is a reasonable means to allow these events to continue without further compromising neighborhoods that cannot accommodate additional congestion.

    Thank you.

    Comment attachment
    SAPO-testimony-2024.docx
    Comment added November 19, 2024 4:43pm