FLATIRON — The city should allow fewer corporate advertisements in public plazas, because the promotional events clog up park-like spots that are supposed to be for pedestrians, residents say.
And city officials told DNAinfo New York that the city doesn't even make any money off the promotional events, because the thousands of dollars in permit fees go entirely toward safety provisions for the events.
Clayton Smith, chair of Community Board 5's Parks and Public Spaces committee, said companies' installations take the pedestrian plazas away from the public.
"Product launches and commercial events deny the public that space and disrupt daily life for residents and businesses," Smith said. "It's inconvenient, it's in the way and it's cynical."
"Oh, I can't walk through this public space because it's been rented to a corporation," he said he thinks while navigating the advertising.
The city charges companies between $3,100 and $66,000 per event in a public plaza, according to the application website.
One recent installation that sparked complaints was at Flatiron Plaza at Broadway and East 23rd Street, featuring an ice sculpture carving of the word "#shameless," a promotion for the Showtime show of the same name. It was considered a small two-day event, the Flatiron Partnership confirmed, for which advertisers would have paid $6,200, according to city documents.
But the mayor's office said money from the permits goes entirely to the city's expenses, to make sure the events and installations are up to safety and code regulations. The city does not generate any revenue from the advertising, the mayor's office said.
The Office of Citywide Event Coordination and Management, which reports to Mayor Bill de Blasio's chief of staff, issues permits for events through its Street Activity Permit Office. The office does not favor community events over commercial events due to First Amendment rights, according to the mayor's press office.
The New York Post previously reported that the Times Square pedestrian plaza turned little to no profit for the city.
Community members complained that they have no input into what happens at pedestrian plazas.
Community Board 5 sent a letter to the mayor, the City Council and Borough President Gale Brewer on Jan. 9 condemning the city for giving pedestrian plaza space to advertisements and commercial publicity stunts, and called for a working group to address the issue.
The letter raised specific concerns about a promotional event for the NBA that's slated to draw a crowd of 10,000 attendees to Flatiron Plaza on Feb. 12, which CB5 said was “inappropriate in terms of scale, duration, volume and impact.”
It will involve street closures and overnight operation of forklifts, and renders at least parts of the plaza inaccessible for days, they said. The SAPO fee for such an event could run between $25,000 and $66,000, according to the city's fee schedule.
The mayor's press office said the street closing would be limited to the three-hour period around the event.
"The city is committed to ensuring safety at all events while minimizing traffic disruption, and this event is no exception," said Cristin Burtis, executive director of Citywide Events Coordination and Management.
Showtime and the NBA did not respond to requests for comment.
