LOWER MANHATTAN (PIX11) -- The issue of street vendor licenses will be center stage Tuesday in the New York City Council Chambers.
There is a public hearing on Intro 431, which would increase the number of food vendor supervisory licenses and general vendor licenses available each year for five years, and then it would lift the cap on food vendor supervisory licenses and general vendor licenses.
Lawmakers are also considering Intro 408, which creates a division of NYC Small Business Services with educational and compliance services.
Mohamed Attia, the Managing Director of the Street Vendor Project, tells PIX11 News, "Right now, what we have is not serving anyone." He said vendors who want to get a license cannot because he said "more than 10 thousand names have been on the waiting list for many, many years. It is moving extremely slowly."
Albert Dalipi, with the Fordham Road Business Improvement District, tells PIX11 News they have a number of concerns about both legal and illegal street vendors. Dalipi said some vendors with the proper licenses are still breaking the law by over-extending the areas they are allowed to be in. He said, "There's an organized crime component to it as well, where thieves will go into stores, steal items, and sell them on the street for half the cost. Between the retail theft, the illegal dumping, and the street vending, it's been a problem."
Dalipi added that increasing the number of licenses means the City Council needs to also increase funding for enforcement. He said, "We're not anti-street vending; it's just that the situation has gotten out of control. DSNY has done a great job, but they're understaffed, so at this point."
Alejandro Jimenez, the Manager of the Food Fair on Jerome Avenue, said street vendors hurt brick and mortar shops since items are cheaper on the street. Jimenez told PIX11 News, "We're losing a lot of jobs. It's just not fair for us, it's not fair for the business, it's not fair for our employees."
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