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resolution 20 pages

Also attached to this agenda item: Res 19-2022 Street Vendor Street Vendor License Policy revised

I am writing to express my opposition to renewing the street vendor policy in the upper village. I am not a resident or business owner in the upper village but I drive through there several times every day. The intersection of Old Post and Grand Street is very busy on weekends, and on a good day the existing parking in and adjacent to the intersection make it difficult for pedestrians crossing the intersection to be seen by motor vehicle operators . This situation is exacerbated when there are street vendors operating at or near the intersection. These vendors increase the number of pedestrians in and around the intersection and the activity of the vendors themselves peddling their wares is also very distracting to drivers. This activity makes it more difficult and stressful for motor vehicle operators to navigate the intersection safely. As a result traffic through the area also slows down significantly. Similarly on weekends there are many pedestrians crossing Old Post Rd between Maple and Grand Streets to patronize the various businesses there, and cars popping in and out of parking spaces, the village lot, and the Asbury lot. It can be dangerous for pedestrians, and drivers need to be slow and cautious. Adding street vendors to this corridor will make it much less safe. Street vendors operating in on-street parking spaces also reduce the number of spaces in the upper village for patrons of upper village businesses, like me. This makes parking more difficult and inconvenient. Sometimes I can't find a spot or I have to park farther away. This inconvenience can be the difference between my patronizing an upper village business, or not. In general the conditions generated by street vendors make me want to avoid the upper village, and make me less likely to patronize the brick and mortar businesses in the upper village. I love our small businesses in the upper village and want to support them. Street vendors make it more difficult for me to do so. It would be better to set up these street vendors in Vassalo Park, or in any of the upper village parking lots, or in the privately owned driveways or parking areas. But putting them on the sidewalk or in on-street parking spaces in the upper village is a nuisance and negatively impacts public safety. Edward Rosensteel 6 Joseph Wallace Drive Croton on Hudson To whom this may concern, I am writing this regarding the increased number of permits on Sundays. As a small business owner since 2008, I am for any program that will support small businesses being seen, heard, or highlighted to generate revenue. I am in a unique field that promotes and represents small businesses and non-for-profits while simultaneously sharing information with the community. The one conversation that has been consistent through my many years of working with small business owners, is this need for increased exposure and support through foot traffic and events from their communities. They need help to survive and unfortunately so many do not. This is a familiar mantra from all the small business owners in all the townships I work with. This is not unique to ours. I support anything that will help generate income while keeping with the integrity of living in a small town. From what I have seen, the new proposal for Sunday is something that encourages this. I understand this allows businesses that are located outside the upper village to also participate, along with artists and non for profits, all while giving back to the Croton Caring committee. The possibilities are limitless. This sounds like a win for our community. Like so many others I am a current resident, who was raised here, left, only to return to raise their own family. My decades as a resident have given me the opportunity to experience business growth and loss through changing times, (I think I am still grieving the loss of Elliots and the bowling alley). We are at another one of those crossroads due to the pandemic, where some small business owners might not make it. In times like these, it is more important than ever to try everything we can do to send the message to our business owners and residents that we will try anything we can to help. I look forward to learning more and seeing this come to fruition. Nobody has a crystal ball, and we don’t know the outcome, but I think we owe it to this village to try. Doing nothing should not be an option because we need each other and when our businesses do well, we all do well, and right now they need all the support they can get. Thank you for your time. All the best, Laurie Weisz CEO Suburban Guides, Inc. 914-355-6284; Laurie@SuburbanGuides.com www.SuburbanGuides.com PO BOX 221 ● Croton-on-Hudson, New York 10520 ● crotoncaring@gmail.com ● Tel (914) 271-4979 ● www.crotoncaring.org February 14, 2022 Executive Director Carrie Sena ▪ President Nancy Squire Vice President Alana Jessie Treasurer Daniel Boglioli Secretary Grace Bender ▪ Directors Emily Boglioli Mary Gilligan Debi Braddick Rhonda Schonfeld Lauren Scollins Rebecca Spagnoli Phil Spagnoli Molly Lemeris ▪ Student Directors Nicholas Godek Madelyn Boglioli ▪ Student Director of Social Media Lila Clarke Croton Board of Trustees Village of Croton on Hudson Municipal Building 1 Van Wyck Street Croton on Hudson, NY 10520 RE: Grub on Grand – Request to Extend Program Dear Croton Board of Trustees, I write on behalf of Croton Caring in support of the CBC request to the Village to increase the Grub on Grand Sunday permits from two to eight to allow more businesses to participate, and attract more interest from Croton residents and families from surrounding communities. As we know firsthand, the impacts of Covid-19 remain. Our businesses, many of which have continued to support Croton Caring’s efforts to address food and financial insecurity, continue to face challenges. As the restrictions against gathering recede, allowing friends and neighbors to gather safely at events like Grub on Grand are integral to the well-being of our community—keeping it strong, active and economically vibrant. Allowing more businesses to gather for Grub on Grand will provide a venue to allow the community to give back to our local businesses. Croton Caring has built and benefited from long standing partnerships with institutions and businesses throughout the Village. These efforts have enabled us to serve or neighbors in need. Unfortunately, many of our businesses are suffering and are in need of help. We believe expanded Grub on Grand events will allow the Croton community to come together and emerge from this pandemic healthier. We hope you will support his request.1 Thank you, Nancy Squire Croton Caring President Molly Lemeris Croton Caring Board Member 1 Croton Caring did not request, and takes no position regarding, the proposed component of this program that would result in a donation to Croton Caring. Croton Caring supports this request irrespective of whether that component is included in the program. PO BOX 221 ● Croton-on-Hudson, New York 10520 ● crotoncaring@gmail.com ● Tel (914) 271-4979 ● www.crotoncaring.org ________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ __ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________________________________________________ _ ______________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________ ________________________________________________________________________________________________ _____________________________________________________________________________________________ _______________________________________________________________________________________ ___________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ To the Village Manager: I have an antiques shop/art gallery at 111 Grand Street, across from the Catholic Church, and I am open for business on Sundays. Parking before noon on Sundays is extremely tight. Afternoons are almost the only time on weekends when some parking is available for my customers. Last season two vendors set up in the middle of town, sometimes blocking parking spaces the night before, and the increase in parked cars was noticeable all the way to my shop. Please don't allow more vendors or increased hours for them. A better solution would be to have vendors set up in Vassallo Park, where they are not taking up parking spaces. Amy Cotton 111 Grand Street