December 9, 2009Department of Consumer AffairsJonathan MintzNew York City Department of Consumer Affairs42 BroadwayNew York, NY 10004RE:

Street Vendors and Community Board 8

Dear Mr. Mintz:At the December 8, 2009 full board meeting of the Street Vendor Project, the followingresolution was adopted by a vote of 17 in favor, 0 opposed, and 0 abstentions.

WHEREAS

street vendors are small business owners who make a valuable contribution to theUpper East Side by providing delicious food and convenient merchandise to residents and visitorsalike, and

WHEREAS

street vendors on the Upper East Side contribute to the health of the community byproviding fresh fruit and vegetables more conveniently and at lower prices than available in localsupermarkets, and

WHEREAS

many street vendors on the Upper East Side are military veterans who were disabledin the service of this country and are thus particularly worthy of our admiration, assistance, andrespect, and

WHEREAS

street vendors on the Upper East Side, like those throughout the city, have beenunfairly targeted for harassment by local authorities and are unjustly punished by city licensingcaps, street restrictions, and exorbitant fines, which are higher than those faced by other smallbusinesses, and

WHEREAS

despite claims of “vendor proliferation” the number street vending licenses and

permits available for vending in Community Board 8 has been capped and not changed for nearlythirty years, and

WHEREAS

the views and opinions of Community Board 8 do not reflect those of the residentsof their neighborhood, thousands of whom value street vendors and patronize them every day,and

WHEREAS

the views and opinions of Community Board 8 may be influenced by owners of brick-and-mortar establishments who seek to diminish the competition they face from streetvendors, and