Yes, I know, a little bit snarky. But I was just about to do a post on the abuses of sidewalk sheds on public space for illegal advertising when S. sent the picture above. It looks like the building that houses the Citi branch on West Broadway is finally repairing the sidewalk after what I think has been four years? five?

The last we checked in on these, the Department of Buildings said there were permit applications dated July 8, 2024, for work near the entrance to the store:

• An application to repair and regrade the sidewalk for ADA compliance
• An application to repair the sidewalk vault beneath the store

Citi had started advertising on the boxes, which is not cool IMO.

And I have more on that topic. As much as I love Two Hands, I was startled and disappointed to see this gargantuan ad for The North Face on the road side of its curbside dining shed. Add that to the ads on Greenwich Tavern. Neither are illegal, and just such an abuse of what should be the privilege of using public space for private use.

This from the DOT when I complained about it last summer: “Yes advertising signs are currently permitted on dining sheds in New York City, however owners need to acquire permits from DOB like any other business sign and owners are subject to enforcement actions for not obtaining them.”

Why this is ok is a mystery to me — the dining sheds were intended to be bonuses for restaurants to help them through covid, not opportunities to advertise on public property. They are just visual garbage — billboards in the middle of the streetscape.