Wednesday, September 16, 2026, 1 p.m. (New York City time), 250 Broadway - 8th Floor - Hearing Room 3
Committee: Committee on Small Business
0:14 Thank you quiet down quiet
0:14 down we're going to be
0:24 starting shortly good
0:25 afternoon and welcome to you
0:26 today is New York City Council
0:28 hearing from the committee on
0:30 small business at this point
0:31 I'd like to remind everyone t
0:33 osilence their electronic
0:33 devices and at no point is
0:34 anyone to approach the dais if
0:36 you would like to sign up t
0:38 otestify in person and have not
0:39 filled out a form yet the
0:41 forms are located outside in
0:43 the hallway with the sergeant
0:45 arms
0:45 . We're ready to begin.
0:50 Thank you this hearing is
0:52 called to order good afternoon r
0:57 chanel Thomas Henry chair of
0:58 the the committee on small
1:00 business and thank you for
1:01 joining today's hearing
1:03 . While traveling across the
1:04 City to speak with small
1:06 business owners the one thing
1:08 that kept coming up in these
1:10 conversations is how hard it
1:11 is for them to stay in this
1:12 City and grow.
1:13 With the goal of supporting
1:16 our small businesses and
1:17 keeping them in our community
1:19 this hearing will focus on
1:21 discussing four bills
1:23 . These are introduction 9
1:25 0from councilmember Brewer
1:27 introduction 4 0 8 from
1:30 Council Member introduction 5
1:33 7 8 from councilmember
1:34 Gutiérrez and introduction 874
1:38 from councilmember Maloney
1:39 . I like to thank the council
1:42 colleagues representatives
1:43 from the administration and
1:44 members of the public for
1:47 being here as well as members
1:49 of the participatory
1:50 participating remotely.
1:51 We are losing our small
1:54 businesses fast last year more
1:56 businesses closed in New York
1:59 state than opened.
2:00 Those businesses closed
2:01 because we have made it too
2:03 difficult for them to remain
2:04 open the rising cost of rent
2:07 in the City displaces not only
2:09 our residents but our
2:12 businesses this is a travesty
2:14 because small businesses are
2:14 the foundation of our City
2:16 they make it distinct and they
2:18 give it character they helped
2:20 to find the neighborhoods they
2:21 serve and can even become
2:24 important social centers where
2:26 people gather and interact in
2:29 public like barbershops and
2:30 and coffee shops staying in
2:32 business is no easy feat when
2:34 small businesses are forced t
2:37 onavigate complex and expensive
2:39 commercial lease
2:39 . Agreements while also trying
2:41 to find enough funds t
2:43 ocontinue to keep their
2:43 business in operation
2:45 . In New York City the
2:46 department of small business
2:47 services exists to hel
2:49 psupport these business owners
2:51 they help business owners
2:53 navigate and adhere t
2:54 oregulations and provide them
2:56 with funding streams when
2:57 needed the bills that we are
2:59 hearing today would further
3:01 allow to fulfill its mission
3:02 . By centralizing tools to
3:05 address the real and unique
3:06 challenges our entrepreneurs
3:08 face
3:09 . Introduction 90 from
3:10 councilmember Brewer.
3:11 Would require commercial
3:12 landlords to disclose
3:13 information regarding the
3:15 building prior to collecting
3:16 rent on the property it also
3:19 sets up procedures for
3:20 negotiating lease agreements
3:22 between business owners and
3:23 commercial landlords and
3:24 creates a private right of
3:26 action for business owners t
3:27 osue their commercial landlords
3:31 for noncompliance.
3:32 Councilmember brewer's bill
3:33 would help help ensure that
3:35 small businesses could
3:36 negotiate with their
3:38 commercial landlords freely in
3:39 a without fear of losing their
3:41 business in the process
3:43 . Introduction 4 0 8 from
3:45 Council Member Riley
3:46 . Would help promote small
3:47 businesses by establishing a
3:49 program to pare small business
3:51 owners with local social media
3:53 influences to help market
3:55 their business this bill would
3:56 help ensure that our
3:58 businesses are getting the
3:59 promotional investment that
4:00 they need to continue t
4:01 ooperate in their communities
4:04 introduction 5 7 8 from
4:07 Council Member Gutiérrez
4:08 reform our industrial business
4:10 zone boundary commission her
4:12 bill reforms the commission t
4:13 omake it less controlled by
4:16 City agencies and more
4:17 responsive to the community
4:18 the bill also makes it harder
4:20 to remove or shrink eib's
4:23 Council Member Gutiérrez bill
4:23 would help ensure that our
4:25 manufacturing businesses can
4:26 continue to thrive in this
4:29 City
4:30 . And finally introduction 8
4:33 74 from councilmember Maloney
4:35 would establish a legacy
4:37 business program this bill
4:38 would allow long standing
4:40 small businesses with
4:41 community ties in the
4:42 neighborhood to apply for
4:44 funding and other assistance
4:46 to keep them open in operation
4:49 . Councilmember maloney's bill
4:50 would help preserve vital
4:53 community landmark landmarks
4:54 and ensure that they remain
4:56 open
4:56 . The legislation that we will
4:58 hear today will help make our
5:00 City more competitive by
5:01 keeping our small businesses
5:02 right here where they are I
5:04 look forward to hearing
5:05 testimony from the department
5:06 of small business services and
5:08 hearing their positions on
5:10 these bills I similarly look
5:12 forward to hearing from small
5:13 businesses and advocates on
5:15 today's legislation I want t
5:16 othank tyler walz and rebecca
5:18 burrell from central staff for
5:20 their hard work and putting
5:22 this hearing together as well
5:23 background to help make this
5:31 hearing possible I would like
5:32 to mention that I am joined by
5:36 my colleagues councilmember
5:38 breuer council Maloney
5:40 councilmember santis whoa so.
5:42 And Council Member at this
5:45 time I will now turn it over
5:47 to councilmember Brewer t
5:50 oprovide opening
5:50 . Remarks thank you very much
5:52 chair Thomas Henry thank you
5:55 for including this bill until
5:57 90 the storefront business
5:58 bill of rights on today's
6:00 agenda
6:01 . I've been working on this
6:01 issue since 19 80 I just want
6:04 to let you know.
6:05 Building on years of
6:06 advocating for mom and pop
6:08 stores as manhattan borough
6:09 president that wasn't that
6:11 long ago but it was a 10 or so
6:13 years ago
6:14 . I convened a task force made
6:16 up a small business owners
6:18 commercial tenants and
6:19 landlords.
6:20 To identify recommendations
6:22 and proposals that would
6:23 prevent small business owners
6:25 from being priced out of the
6:26 City just because this is such
6:28 a difficult issue to come up
6:31 with solutions and get
6:31 stakeholders to be supportive.
6:35 Months of substantive policy
6:37 discussion focused on City
6:38 fines and fees unaffordable
6:40 rents scaffolding construction
6:42 long term vacancies financing
6:44 and transitioning online
6:45 businesses to brick and mortar
6:49 storefronts.
6:49 This storefront business
6:50 bill of rights intro 9
6:52 0emerged from the task force's
6:55 report small business a big
6:56 impact that we put together.
6:57 This report seeks t
7:00 oestablish important
7:00 protections for small business
7:03 owners and improve
7:03 communication between building
7:04 and business owners.
7:06 A consistent message emerged r
7:11 lease agreements without
7:12 access to essential
7:15 information then they face
7:15 sudden rent hikes ambiguous
7:19 lease terms and a lack of
7:21 predictability and renewal
7:23 negotiations
7:23 . This lack of transparency
7:26 and communication contributes
7:28 to instability in the
7:30 commercial market and business
7:31 closures in our neighborhoods
7:33 neither of which benefits
7:35 business owners or property
7:37 owners
7:37 . Until 90 responds to those
7:40 concerns by setting clear
7:41 standards for commercial these
7:43 transparency and renewal
7:45 creating a more stable
7:46 environment for small
7:47 businesses to thrive and plan
7:48 into the future these are the
7:52 key provisions one
7:53 . A written lease requirement
7:55 for any storefront tenancy
7:57 longer than one year ensuring
8:00 clear and documented terms for
8:01 all parties I will say that in
8:03 many cases it's a handshake a
8:05 handshake be fine until the
8:08 rent goes up and then you have
8:09 nothing to base it on number
8:12 two.
8:13 Lise renewal protections
8:14 including a required 100 a day
8:17 hundred 20 day notice of non
8:19 renewal I can't tell you how
8:20 many times I know this pizza
8:22 store.
8:23 I couldn't even get in the
8:25 owner never talked to the
8:26 owner the owner wouldn't talk
8:28 to him he got a he evicted
8:30 without any communication
8:31 whatsoever I couldn't get in
8:32 touch with the owner
8:36 . Three mandatory pre lease
8:37 disclosures such as the
8:39 certificate of occupants is
8:42 there one
8:43 . A breakdown of occupancy
8:43 related costs utilities taxes
8:45 fees and a 10 year history of
8:47 known violations or
8:49 construction activity for
8:51 . A reasonable cure period for
8:54 up to 60 days for tenants to
8:58 address lease violations
8:59 except in emergency situations h
9:04 landlords and tenants t
9:06 omaintain and update contact
9:08 information throughout the
9:09 lease term and six oversight
9:12 by the department of small
9:14 business services which will
9:16 also provide model commercial
9:17 lease templates translated
9:19 into multiple languages along
9:21 with user friendly tools t
9:23 ohelp businesses estimate costs
9:24 and understand least terms
9:27 . I appreciate the continued
9:28 support and dialog with the
9:31 manhattan chamber of commerce
9:31 in New York City hospitality
9:34 alliance remedy and of course
9:37 we all need t
9:38 oinstitutionalize these best
9:40 practices I thank committee
9:42 staff tyler wells rebecca
9:46 barria and amon marine as well
9:48 as chair Thomas Henry and
9:50 shula pooter from my staff and
9:52 I really appreciate this
9:52 there's no easy answer to
9:55 keeping small businesses in
9:57 business and we were just
10:00 touring astoria astoria and
10:01 jackson heights I think the
10:03 commissioner was there and I
10:06 could see unfortunately what
10:07 happened on the upper west
10:07 side happening there
10:10 . Incoming with all due
10:12 respect chain stores and they
10:13 don't stand a chance against
10:14 the mom and pop so hopefully
10:16 we can give them that chance
10:19 thank you
10:20 . Thank you Council Member I
10:21 will now turn it over to to
10:23 Maloney for opening remarks
10:25 thank you chair Thomas Henry
10:28 for holding today's hearing
10:29 and also for coming to
10:32 district four to talk about
10:34 intro 8 7 4 and visit legacy
10:37 businesses in my community
10:40 legacy businesses are part of
10:41 the fabric of this City across
10:43 all five boroughs they are the
10:44 neighborhood markets the
10:47 bookstores the other family
10:49 owned businesses that have
10:49 been here for decades and
10:51 they're a big part of what
10:52 makes New York so special it's
10:55 unique character and identity
10:58 but rising rents sky rocketing
11:00 operation costs are making it
11:02 harder for these businesses t
11:05 osurvive and when a long time
11:08 business closes we lose a
11:09 piece of what makes that
11:11 neighborhood uniquely New York e
11:14 legacy business bill that
11:15 we're introducing and talking
11:17 about today which will create
11:19 a registry of recognized that
11:21 have served served communities
11:22 for at least 20 years and also
11:24 have a preservation fund t
11:26 ohelp those at risk of
11:28 displacement stay open at its
11:30 core this bill is about giving
11:32 long standing small businesses t
11:35 ostay in the communities that
11:37 they helped to build thank you
11:39 . Thank you Council Member I'd
11:41 like to recognize that we've
11:42 been joined by Council Member
11:45 haneef
11:45 . I will now turn it over to
11:46 committee counsel t
11:47 oadminister the oath before we
11:48 hear from the Mayor all
11:52 administration we will now
11:53 hear testimony from the
11:55 administration before we begin e
11:59 affirmation panelist please
12:00 raise your right hand do you
12:02 affirm to tell the truth the
12:04 whole truth and nothing but
12:05 the truth before this
12:06 committee and to respond
12:07 honestly to Council Member
12:08 questions I do thank you you
12:10 begin when ready stop thank
12:14 you so much good afternoon I
12:16 chair Thomas Henry council
12:18 member Brewer Council Member
12:20 murano Council Member Maloney
12:22 Council Member santoso council
12:23 member and eve and members of
12:25 the small business committee
12:26 of the New York City Council
12:27 for small business services
12:35 for short.
12:36 Z's mission is to unloc
12:38 keconomic potential and create
12:38 economic security for all New
12:39 York er's by connecting New
12:41 York er's to good jobs
12:43 creating stronger businesses
12:44 and building thriving
12:45 neighborhoods across the fiv
12:46 eboroughs over the past six
12:48 months under commissioner
12:51 manny's leadership has moved
12:53 aggressively to to deliver New
12:54 era for small businesses by
12:55 advancing efforts to cut red
12:58 tape expand support and reach
13:00 more New yorkers across the
13:02 five boroughs s pius revamped
13:03 the fifth the $18 million
13:06 future fund to produce
13:08 barriers and lending
13:08 established the first ever
13:10 office of st vendor services
13:12 four months ahead of schedule
13:14 and expanded the cannabis loan
13:17 fund to all New York City
13:19 licensees also helped create
13:20 the city's newest.
13:22 Business improvement
13:22 district in coney island and
13:24 released a total of $8.
13:27 4Million in grants one of the
13:30 largest single releases of
13:32 neighborhood development
13:33 grants in our agency's history
13:35 to fund public arts street
13:37 cleaning lighting way finding
13:39 infrastructure commercial
13:40 district marketing campaigns
13:41 and other neighborhood
13:43 improvements the
13:44 administration has pared our
13:45 expanded programming with a
13:46 historic regulatory relief
13:48 agenda including executive
13:51 order 11 in January 2
13:52 inventory all fines and fees
13:53 and executive order 18 in the
13:56 open for small business
13:58 package of more than 5
14:00 0reforms none of this work
14:01 would have been possible
14:02 without the direct feedback of
14:04 small business operators
14:05 through surveys our direct
14:07 service work and roundtables
14:08 tables led by deputy Mayor
14:10 Julie sue with bodega owners
14:12 restaurant operators and
14:14 childcare providers
14:15 . Commissioner minaya also
14:15 held community partner
14:16 convening with a cross section
14:18 of local borough chambers