The city has launched a crusade against illegal storage containers outside local Midwood businesses, and is poised to unleash a ticket blitz any day now.
The Department of Sanitation is citing citizen complaints of the containers clogging streets as it prepares to dispatch enforcement teams to issue violations for unpermitted storage boxes, according to councilman David Greenfield, who is urging shopowners to get their paperwork in order.
“It is vital that businesses obtain a permit before using public space for storage containers,” said Greenfield. “This enforcement is not to trick merchants or surprise them with tickets, so we are providing the community with a fair warning before the city begins issuing summonses.”
Self-storage units, which resemble short shipping containers, become common a sight outside Midwood shops along 13th and 16th avenues during the Jewish holiday season, when the extra space is required to store everything from extra groceries to Sukkahs.
The containers require permits from the Street Activity Permit Office, and business owners can find themselves in trouble if they don’t pony up to get their paperwork, or if they fail to cart their containers away before their permits expire, according to Community Board 12 district manager Wolf Sender.
“While they have the permits they should be allowed to have the containers,” said Sender. “But for some of them it takes time to pick up, and it’s not always done in time.”
Locals have been complaining about these containers to the community board, according to Sender, who said folks are mostly upset about the number parking spots taken up by the crates, which are about 20-feet long.
Greenfield spokesman Connor Greene, stressed that the councilman did not instigate the crackdown — his boss just wants to give merchants the heads up, so they can make right before the hammer drops.
“I understand how important these storage units are for many neighborhood businesses for Yom Tov, and the last thing I want is for a hard-working merchant to receive an unfair fine,” said Greenfield in a press release. “That’s why I am getting word out to merchants now.”
Patroling Midwood, this paper found an unpermitted container on 56th Street between 14th and 15th avenues, which was parked on the road in front of Yeshiva Spinka, but was in fact rented by the Heritage Rehabilitation and Health Care Center to provide extra storage during the Jewish holidays, according to an employee who asked not to be named.
“We’re going to get rid of it right away,” the employee said upon learning of the impending crackdown.
