Category: Important Announcements

The City Council has approved two bills, sponsored by Bronx council members Mark Gjonaj and Vanessa Gibson, to help relieve restaurants and mom-and-pop stores by restructuring the penalty system that hits them with onerous fines.

The first bill would reduce or waive financial penalties for certain sanitation, health, transportation, consumer affairs, noise control and buildings violations. The bill would also allow small businesses to often fix a violation before paying a hefty fine, and for certain violations, they’ll face no fine on first offense. For instance, small business owners had to pay a fee if they didn’t properly label garbage bins. The new rules would allow them to correct the mistake instead.

The second bill would create an amnesty program that waives interest on penalties imposed by the Environmental Control Board, eliminates penalties for defaulting and offers significant discounts on base penalties for money paid during the amnesty period if judgement is paid during the established amnesty period. For judgments issued during the pandemic (on or after March 7, 2020), the person would receive a 75% discount on base penalties and interest would be waived. For judgments issued before that date, the person would receive a 25% discount and interest would be waived if they pay during the amnesty period. Default penalties would also be waived. This program would be created by the Commissioner of Finance and last 90 days with the option to extend at the order of the Commissioner.

COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted.

The State’s health guidance and New York Forward industry specific guidelines—including social gathering limits, capacity restrictions, social distancing, cleaning and disinfection, health screening, and contact information for tracing—are now optional for retail, food services, offices, gyms and fitness centers, amusement and family entertainment, hair salons, barber shops and personal care services, among other commercial settings. 

Unvaccinated individuals continue to be responsible for wearing masks, in accordance with federal CDC guidance. Consistent with the State’s implementation of the recent CDC guidance, masks are still required for unvaccinated individuals.

The State’s COVID restrictions remain in effect for large-scale indoor event venues—now defined as indoor venues that hold more than 5,000 attendees. Consistent with the State’s implementation of the CDC guidelines, proof of vaccination can be used to eliminate social distancing and remove masks for fully vaccinated individuals. Unvaccinated or unknown vaccination status individuals who are over the age of four must continue to present proof of a recent negative diagnostic COVID-19 test result and wear masks within the venue. However, social distancing can be reduced or eliminated between tested attendees, allowing venues to reach 100 percent capacity in all sections.

With the removal of the State’s minimum standard for reopening, businesses are free to choose to lift all or some restrictions, continue to adhere to the State’s archived guidance, or implement other health precautions for their employees and patrons. Businesses are also authorized to require masks and six feet of social distancing for employees and patrons within their establishments, regardless of vaccination status. Any mask requirements that businesses choose to implement must adhere to applicable federal and state laws and regulations, such as the Americans with Disabilities Act.

The Throggs Neck BID will hold its First Annual Meeting on June 16 at 10am. Participation will be via Zoom. If you are interested in attending, please send your email address to throggsneckbid@gmail.com. PLEASE NOTE that only registered Throggs Neck BID members may vote.

A One Year Report Card

One year ago, The East Tremont Avenue shopping area had:

• Less safety. The BID hired a private security firm to make the neighborhood safer.
• More litter. The BID hired a private sanitation company to help keep it clean.
• Less trees.  The BID worked with the Parks Department to plant new trees, and enhance the beauty of the tree pits.
• Inadequate information. The BID started a newsletter, a website, and a Facebook page to make sure all the important information got to those who operate businesses, work, live and shop in the area.

Just as the BID started operations, the world was hit with the worst pandemic in a century. While much of the city shut down, the BID moved ahead full speed to protect the community.

• BID personnel went door-to-door handing out masks and sanitizing supplies.
• The BID arranged for private COVID testing in the community.
• The BID arranged food at Thanksgiving for hundreds of needy families through a local food pantry, and had a film crew donate funds for a local church.

The Best is Yet to come!

• Starting soon, enhanced lighting will make our area more inviting to be in at night.
• Arrangements are being made, with a grant obtained by Assembly Member Benedetto, to install security cameras.

MAY 3: Bar Seating Allowed

May 17: Midnight curfew on outdoor dining ends

May 31: Midnight curfew on indoor dining ends

In response to Covid-19, the NYC Department of Small Business Services is offering a limited 4-session workshop series to help small businesses adapt to the new and “next” normal. (for businesses that have remote interactions with their customers all or some of the time (i.e., online businesses and vendors).

Session Dates:

• Monday, May 3rd; 6-7:30pm
• Wednesday, May 5th; 6-7:30pm
• Monday, May 10th; 6-7:30pm
• Wednesday, May 12th; 6-7:30pm

Once you register, you will be signed up for all four sessions. It is suggested that you sign up with the intention of attending all four 90-minute sessions.

About the Limited Series:

This series will provide strategies, tools, and resources to help New York City’s small business owners adapt to the new and “next” normal.

Each track contains four Zoom-based sessions that are interactive and build upon each other. You will be given exercises, resources, and opportunities to discuss and apply concepts, as well as templates to support your business. There will be short assignments to deepen your learning and apply the concepts between sessions. The facilitators are experienced business owners/mentors who have been specially trained to conduct this workshop series.

This series is for you if you:

• Are a business owner currently operating a business or previously operating a business with the intent of re-opening
• Have a business that has been impacted by COVID-19, and are looking to recover and adapt your operations, finances, and marketing to a new normal
• Want to think beyond the immediate short-term recovery of your business and start planning for 2021
•  

Workshop Content Overview:

Session 1 (Monday, May 3rd):

• How Covid-19 has impacted your business
• Keeping yourself, your staff, your customers, and your community safe
• Low cost, high impact tools including technology
• Cash flow, more costs, less revenue

Session 2 (Wednesday, May 5th):

• Bringing customers back using digital tools
• Diversifying income streams
• Examining business opportunities and strength
• Discussing examples of businesses that excelled in economic downturns

Session 3 (Monday, May 10th):

• Examine weaknesses and threats
• Develop contingency plans
• Diversifying additional income streams
• Adapting financial modeling

Session 4 (Wednesday, May 12th):

• Looking at long-term trends and how to leverage them
• Update strategic opportunities within your business eco-system
• Looking more closely at enabling technology
• Developing your action plan

REGISTER HERE: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/the-new-normal-business-adaptation-workshop-series-tickets-144241218367

The NYC Fire Department is conducting inspections on boiler rooms. For questions regarding boiler issues, read here or call the Boiler Division Hot Line at (212) 393-2661.

The Governors’ Office has announced that Effective Monday, April 19, the curfew for bars and restaurants will be changed from 11pm to midnight. The curfew for catered events will move from midnight to 1am. 

An EATER magazine article reports that “’The curfew extension is a step in the right direction,’ says Andrew Rigie, the executive director of the NYC Hospitality Alliance, but there are still other regulations that restaurateurs and bar owners would like to see removed. ‘The extra hour is good news for restaurants, bars and customers, but we need to also lift the rule that prohibits customers from being seated to eat at a bar in NYC, and revisit removing the requirement that a ‘food item’ be served with a drink” 

Local Law 29 of 2021 extends the moratorium on the issuance of certain accessory sign violations, and the temporary assistance program for certain accessory signs to January 1, 2023.

Moratorium on Issuance of Certain Accessory Sign Violations

The NYC Department of Buildings will not issue accessory sign violations for business storefront signs that existed before February 9, 2019, and do not exceed 150 square feet in area or exceed 1,200 pounds in weight, unless the sign creates an imminent threat to public health or safety.

The enforcement moratorium is extended to January 1, 2023.

Temporary Assistance Program for Certain Accessory Signs

The Temporary Assistance Program waives all sign permit filing fees for respondents who received a Department sign violation until January 1, 2023 if:

 • the summons or violation was for a storefront sign

• The penalty imposed as a result of a hearing held at OATH’s Hearing Division (formerly known as ECB) was entered as a judgment in court NOTE: If the violation was entered as a judgment in court, a Court Docket Date will be listed on the OATH/ECB Violations Details page in the Buildings Information System (BIS).

• the judgment amount was paid between June 1, 2006 and January 1, 2021.

 If the summons/violation meets all of the listed criteria:

• submit a job filing and pay the fees in DOB NOW: Build NOTE: In most cases, the raising or lowering of any sign requires a Licensed Sign Hanger. See a list of Licensed Sign Hangers and get additional sign installation information from DOB’s website.

 • indicate that the filing addresses a summons/violation and provide the summons/violation number

• submit an RF1-Refund Request Application and select Overpayment (OP) in Section 3 (Reason for Refund Request). The Correct Fee in Section 4 (Payment Information) is 100% of the filing fee paid. Attach the following to the completed RF1 – Refund Request Application:

• a copy of the accessory sign summons/violation; and

• proof of payment for the entire judgment amount (i.e., a copy of the cancelled check or a credit card statement); the proof of payment must include the date the payment was made – please attach a copy of the court judgment if you have it, although the judgment is not required – see the RF1 instructions for form submission details.

For additional business assistance, contact NYC Small Business Services. Please note in the How can we help you? field that you were referred by the NYC Department of Buildings per Local Law 28 of 2019.