Scaffolding costs Manhattan businesses $9.5K in monthly revenue, study finds
Photo courtesy of Billie Grace Ward on Flickr
Scaffolding and sidewalk sheds cost Manhattan businesses up to $10,000 in monthly revenue. Mayor Eric Adams on Wednesday released a study conducted in collaboration with Mastercard that found cardholders spend between $3,900 and $9,500 less every month at Manhattan businesses covered by scaffolding and sidewalk sheds. Restaurants and bars are hit the hardest, with a 3.5 to 9.7 percent decrease in weekly transactions during the six months following the construction of sidewalk sheds.
The study is part of Adams’ broader “Get Sheds Down” plan, a series of nine initiatives designed to accelerate construction and repairs so unsightly sidewalk sheds and construction fencing can be taken down as fast as possible.
Since its launch, the plan has successfully taken down 173 miles of existing sidewalk sheds. The city has removed 259 sheds that had been up for more than five years, including the city’s longest-standing permitted shed, which stood at 409 Edgecombe Avenue in Harlem for over 21 years.
“Too many businesses throughout New York City have been shrouded by hundreds of miles of sidewalk sheds and scaffolding, some of which have been up for decades,” Adams said.
“Those sheds may have gone up to keep people safe, but they’re still up because it’s cheaper for building owners to leave them up than to fix their buildings. That’s bad for public safety, bad for our city, and, as this study shows us, bad for business, too.”
The Adams administration says it is partnering with the City Council on a legislation package that will permit more colorful sidewalk sheds and scaffolding, increase lighting requirements for sheds, shorten the duration of shed permits, and enforce new penalties if building repairs aren’t completed on time.
To beautify existing sheds and make them less of an eyesore, the city’s Department of Cultural Affairs hosts the City Canvas program. The initiative enlists the help of local artists, who have submitted artwork that will then be temporarily installed on protective structures to make them more visually appealing.
Earlier this summer, the Department of Buildings (DOB) launched a review of the city’s Facade Inspection and Safety Program, also known as “Local Law 11” inspections. The law mandates that building owners hire private inspectors to perform facade maintenance inspections, with a “one-size-fits-all” set of guidelines for buildings with more than six stories.
While the current rules push property owners to identify facade hazards, it doesn’t incentivize repairs, resulting in sheds remaining in place for years. Additional recommendations from the Adams administration propose changes to the guidelines that could help reduce sidewalk sheds that are no longer necessary for protecting the public.
The DOB offers an interactive map of the city’s active sidewalk shed permits, which can be viewed here.
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