Reps. Meet with Smith St. Businesses To Provide Support During Construction

Representatives from the Small Business Services group met with Smith Street owners Wednesday, April 26 to hear concerns regarding current construction along the corridor between 3rd Place and Union Street.

Many storefronts have been suffering due to the street construction, with owners claiming a loss of business between 25% and 30%.

The group was composed of Bernadette Nation, Director of the Business Outreach Team, and her staff along with Michael Czaczkes, Director of Constituents Services from and Betty Stoltz, Director of South Brooklyn Local Development Corp. 

In speaking with the business owners, the team found that the biggest concerns were: "No area for delivery of goods and limited parking," said Czaczkes, who added that Small Business Services created an "Outreach Campaign Report" after the visit that was sent to Commissioner Rob Walsh.

The department's plan of action includes working with DOT to install temporary "truck loading/unloading zones" and working with Community Construction Liaison to insure business are updated on any construction-related issues during the last weeks of the project.

In the meantime, most of the business owners received packets with information on how the city can help them with issues such as parking and deliveries.

"I want to thank NYC Small Business Services for visiting individual store owners and advocating on their behalf," said Assemblywoman Joan Millman in a quote to Patch. 

How do you feel about the construction on Smith Street?