CHELSEA — The owners of Chelsea Market are cracking down on tour groups in a bid to combat crowding and better accommodate local residents.
Tour groups will only be allowed inside the market on Ninth Avenue between 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. and after 4 p.m. — its "non-peak traffic hours," owner Jamestown said in a release.
The owner also plans to reduce the number of large group tours that travel through the market, “thus decreasing congestion and easing access to the shops that serve the local community,” the release added.
Tours will be limited to 45 minutes each, and they will be required to check in with a security guard at the 88 10th Ave. entrance before beginning.
The market will enforce the rules with new signage and an “increased security presence,” the release noted.
“This updated policy is the first step in a multi-year plan to make Chelsea Market a space that serves and engages locals again,” the release said.
