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Upper East Siders Fight Newsstand Planned for East 72nd Street

By Amy Zimmer | July 21, 2011 8:02pm
Luis and Rosie Weissbart, who run State News, at 1243 Third Avenue are fighting a newsstand planned half a block away.
Luis and Rosie Weissbart, who run State News, at 1243 Third Avenue are fighting a newsstand planned half a block away.
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DNAinfo/Amy Zimmer

UPPER EAST SIDE — These Upper East Siders can't stand the thought of another news vendor.

A proposed newsstand on East 72nd Street near Third Avenue has drawn the ire of residents of a tony building nearby — sparking a war of words complete with a lawyer and consultant.

The residents of 203 East 72nd St., just 44 feet away from the proposed stand, say the sleek structure — with its ads and coolers of soda crowding the sidewalk — would clash with their Colonial-style building, topped by a fancy clock and would put the squeeze on their beloved neighborhood newspaper store.

To show their disapproval, they collected more than 400 signatures opposing the newsstand and its brightly lit, 24-hour advertisements. Consultant Brenda Levin presented the petition to Community Board 8 Wednesday night.  

The battle comes on the heels of residents on 86th Street near Madison Avenue fighting a newsstand that was planned for their block — and who gathered more than 650 signatures in opposition.

"A newsstand placed on a residential street, even one of the wide cross-streets of the Upper East Side, is not a compatible use," Michael Shaffet, chair of the board of 203 East 72nd St., wrote to CB 8.

"We believe it will, indeed, alter the look and character of the block and set a precedent for other newsstands along 72nd Street."

Howard Hornstein, a lawyer who served on the city's Planning Commission and Board of Standards and Appeals, called the planned newsstand "stupid."

"It doesn't belong here," he told community board members.

Ulitmately, the board voted against the newsstand on East 72nd Street, just as it did for the proposed stand on East 86th Street. The vote is only advisory.

Hornstein didn't understand why the city would allow for a newsstand "next to a building that should have been landmarked."

The Bank for Savings — the city's first savings bank — had constructed the building in 1947 and rented the apartments to veterans. It was named the Bayard House for the former bank president in whose Greenwich Village House Alexander Hamilton died after his duel with Aaron Burr.

Just as the residents on East 86th Street worried about the newsstand competing with their beloved hot-dog vendor, who's been on the block for more than 20 years, the tenants on East 72nd Street defended their neighborhood news store of more than 30 years.

Luis Weissbart, who owns State News — a large shop half a block away on Third Avenue, selling everything from Hello Kitty backpacks to inflatable sharks — also has an extensive roster of newspapers and magazines.

Weissbart, who employs three staffers to handle the news section of his store, didn't think the area could sustain another newspaper seller. He also thought it was unfair that his brick-and-mortar shop — with its higher expenses and taxes — would be competing with a newsstand.

Each weekday, Weissbart sells on average 60 copies of the New York Post, 40 New York Times and 15 copies each of the New York Daily News and Wall Street Journal.  On Sundays, he sells roughly 65 copies of the Post, 55 Times and 25 Daily News, he told the community board.

Shaffet said that of his building's 150 apartments, 85 had newspapers delivered.

"This is ridiculous," Weissbart told members of Community Board 8 Wednesday. "We have 21 people working for us. Some would have to be let go."

Residents also commended Weissbart's commitment to the neighborhood for rebuilding after a fire three years ago.

Kaushik Sikder, who said his wife, Indrani, would open the newsstand, didn't think they would be vying with State News.

"The city is giving me a chance to do little by little," he said. "I'm not investing $100,000. State News — they have a $100,000 business. If I sell 50 cent soda and candy, how am I going to take his business?"

The Department of Transportation, Department of Consumer Affairs and the city's Public Design Commission will determine the newsstand's fate.