Left rectangle ads redesigned
Robert Ripps book
History of Tribeca Buildings
Nosy Neighbor: Do Newspaper Boxes Need Permits?
I was wondering if you could do a Nosy Neighbor post on the bins that Downtown Express, Manhattan Family, Learning Annex, Big Apple Parent, and so on place all over. They seem to become eyesores—covered with graffiti, trash, broken plastic doors, stickers, etc. Do they need permission from the city to plop them down wherever? And do building owners have a right to ask them to be removed? —Miriam
This struck me as a question for Community Board 1’s Director of Planning and Land Use (and resident sage), Michael Levine, and indeed, he had the answer. “They’re allowed by the Department of Transportation as long as they occupy no more than three feet of sidewalk space,” he said. “You don’t even need a permit.” I wondered aloud whether the newspaper boxes become de facto public property. I’ve been mulling a guerrilla marketing campaign, and also tempted to dispose of ones that seem to have been forgotten…. “Oh, sure,” was the response. “In some neighborhoods, the Business Improvement Districts rearrange them to make them as neat as possible. But some building managers just throw them away.”
Got a question? Email it to tribecacitizen@gmail.com.
Previous Nosy Neighbor posts:
• Why does 161 Duane say “Whalebone”?
• What’s the story behind those Harrison townhouses?
• What are those white things at 137 Franklin?
• What’s that thing at W. Broadway and Leonard?
• What happens to old cobblestones?
• Are buses allowed to idle on Laight?
• What’s happening with the Verizon building?
• Will the construction at Hudson and Laight ever end?
• What is Esoteric on Walker Street?
• What’s up with the building under renovation on Franklin?
• Is N. Moore getting cobblestoned?
• What are those orange awnings for?
• What’s happening at 73 Warren?
• Can you recommend any Tribeca picture books?
• Why are those shuttles on Greenwich?
• What’s coming to 15 Canal Street?
• Who enforces sidewalk-café regulations?
• What’s going on at 27 Desbrosses?
• What happened to the Lilac?
• When will those trailers on West Street go away?
• Do you know anything about 20-24 Varick?
• What’s happening to my parking lot?
• Is Pier 26 being worked on again?
• What’s up with Jin Market?
• What are those black pellets on Pier 25?
• What do the characters on 47 Vestry mean?
• When is T.J. Maxx opening?
• Where is the Special Forces monument going?
• Who’s moving into 151 Hudson?
• What’s going on at 172 Duane?
• Where is Compose’s pastry chef cooking now?
• What’s up with those Verizon carts?
• Where was the original Blues Bar?
• Who are the guys in the geeky pants?
• Why are the windows above Ponte’s boarded up?
• Can we walk on the West Street medians?
• What’s going on in 157 Hudson?
• What’s the new painting at 153 Hudson?
• What’s up with 55 Warren/55 Murray?
• What is this P.C. Richard & Son Theater I keep hearing about?
• What’s the story behind the lights at 289 Church?
• What’s the Dream House at 275 Church?
• How come every every film and TV shoot seems to have a trailer with doors marked “Lucy” and “Desi”?
5 Comments
Medium rectangle #1 (top)
Right column rectangle ads
Mega rectangle
Restaurant guide icon
They are getting uglier and uglier, but they do perform a useful function. On upper Madison Avenue the community has solved the problem by installing chrome colored low, attached boxes — that is four or five in one installation. Some are free and others require a payment to open, e.g. the NYT. A fairly good looking solution to the problem. Probably pricey but perhaps CB 1 and our local BIDS can combine to locate a few of these in unobtrusive, but helpful, areas throughout FiDi, Tribeca and BPC. And haul all the ugly ones far, far away.
and the other issue – they are not filled regularly so often they are ugly and trashy and empty!
So people can just drop, or should I say litter these boxes wherever? So the community has to solve a “problem” that local government let develop? Another fine example of local government not keeping an eye on the community.
The Municipal Art Society went on a campaign years ago to try to clean these up. I believe they are protected by First Amendment though.
Yes, the Newspaper Boxes have a strong lobby that fights for their right to drop their litter & graffiti magnets all over the neighborhood & city. “…as long as they occupy no more than three feet of sidewalk space…they don’t even need a permit.” 5 of these shit boxes grouped together take up more than 3 ft of sidewalk space. CB1 is powerless against this form of kryptonite.