New York City Council Considers Doubling Number Of Street Vendor Permits

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- A hearing was held Wednesday morning to hear testimony about legislation that proposes to increase the number of street vendor permits the city issues each year, bringing the number to 8,000 by 2023.

The Street Vendor Modernization Act would gradually double the number of permits over the course of seven years, allowing for 600 more street vendors each year.

The city's health department has issued roughly the same number of permits each year since the early 1980s. Meanwhile, many street vendors have turned to the black market, where two-year, full-time permits can cost up to $25,000.

The Street Vendor Modernization Act also calls for the city to create a vendor law-enforcement unit.

"Is enforcement going to be strong enough to make sure that vendors are doing the right thing? And will this address the real issue, which is that vendors are dipping into the black market and paying thousands of dollars? So how can we alleviate them from that issue as well?" Consumer Affairs Committee Chair Rafael Espinal said. 

Ahead of Wednesday's hearing, street vendors from the city's immigrant communities rallied outside, demanding that city officials and police stop harassing them and treating them like criminals.

Their demands included lowering fines and the interest on those fines, putting an end to racism and gentrification, and having health inspectors and other agents be culturally sensitive and speak their languages.

Some residents on the Upper East Side opposed the legislation, saying there are already issues with the current number of street vendors, like sidewalk congestion and an increase in garbage.

One vendor who has owned his coffee cart for 30 years agreed.

"There's a lot of vendors already as is. I don't think there's no more capacity in the city for more vendors. Sidewalks are all congested already, and a lot of the stores are going to go out of business," he said.