Small business owners along 86th Street in Bensonhurst say confusing regulations, sanitation issues and costly fees are making it harder to operate.
Four local businesses raised their concerns directly with Small Business Services Commissioner Kenny Minaya and Council Member Susan Zhuang during a walking tour of the commercial corridor on Thursday.
Gigi Li, a co-owner and event coordinator of SDC Social Daycare Center, said a lengthy approval process has delayed plans to open a new restaurant at the center, increasing costs and uncertainty. Every time Li submits paper work to city agencies, she waits eight weeks for a reply, then is asked to submit more documents, which pushes back the approval process by months.
“What we know this year might be different three months from [now], but we already started the renovation," said Li. “We don’t see the light at the end of the tunnel.”
Patrick Tarano has owned Bagel Bazaar since 1988, and his biggest issue is the amount of garbage and litter outside his store.
“If it’s dirty, people don’t want to shop in your area,” said Tarano. “Especially [when] you’re coming to buy food, then you smell something that just turns you off.”
There used to be a large garbage can on the street corner, but it has been missing since February, according to Tarano. He hopes for stronger sanitation enforcement and better public education about proper garbage disposal to keep the sidewalks cleaner.
“You’ll just see bags of garbage on the corners,” said Tarano. “Then we get rats because of that.”
Michael Tong and Jin Chen, landlord and owner of Choi Fook Restaurant, said the business began receiving an unusually high water bill after two lots were combined into a single property. Tong said the Department of Environmental Protection inspected the property and found no problems with the water system. That said, the balance has since ballooned to more than $100,000, a cost the restaurant cannot afford.
“It’s really no fault of his,” said Tong, referring to Chen. “They sent him a new bill two years later, want him to pay $70,000, which he can’t.”
The commissioner was given packets of documents by several business owners with further information about their grievances. He discussed next steps his department could take to address systemic issues and better support small business owners.
“One of our goals is always to make sure business owners have the information they need to avoid the fines,” said Minaya.
Council Member Zhuang said supporting the corridor’s businesses is about investing in the community as a whole.
“It’s an immigrant community, it’s very diverse,” said Zhuang. “If we can help them, actually, it’s helping us.”
