In an effort to support Upper West Side independent businesses, a new Bloomberg-supported plan would limit the size of new storefronts in the area to 40 feet. The idea is that if deep-pocketed chain stores were forced to limit the size of their storefronts, they’d be less likely to snatch up hotly-contested retail space. “These bigger businesses can pay higher rent,” small business owner Marcos Gratereaux told the New York Daily News, “whereas we small businesses can’t. They would be less inclined to take the space if it was limited to a certain size.”
With the support of the Bloomberg administration and local City Council members, the plan is likely to pass when it is voted on by the Council next week.
Any regulation that helps small businesses compete against the ever-advancing line of big-box chains in New York is good by us. Opponents of the plan may just have to settle for buying their sub-16-oz. sodas at an independently-owned location.
(Photo: Dan Nguyen/Flickr)
