The East Broadway Mall is at Risk: How You Can Help
What is the East Broadway Mall?
EBM is located in a city-owned building at 88 East Broadway, below the Manhattan Bridge
EBM a center of commerce in Chinatown, especially for Chinatown’s Fuzhounese immigrant community
EBM is leased by the NYC Department of Citywide Administrative Services (DCAS) to a property manager, who in turn subleases spaces to small business tenants
What’s going on with East Broadway Mall?
The city may terminate the lease for EBM due to issues with the property manager’s rent and property taxes
Termination of EBM’s lease would increase the uncertainty the small business tenants face in already uncertain times
This would be a devastating blow to Chinatown’s small business ecosystem that is still trying to recover from the pandemic
What has Welcome to Chinatown done?
We have urged DCAS to extend the deadline for negotiations from September 2021 to January 2022 to allow more time to find a solution for EBM
If negotiations fail, we’ve also urged DCAS to initiate an open request for proposals for 88 East Broadway, led by community input
Others who have called for an extension:
NYS Assemblywoman Yuh-line Niou
Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer
President Justin Yu of the Chinese Consolidated Benevolent Association
City Council District 1 Democratic Primary Winner Christopher Marte
If negotiations fail, we deserve a transparent & open process
Management of city-owned property at 88 E Broadway should be transferred through an open request for proposals led by community input
The MTA is doing just that for the commercial properties located on the Lefferts Boulevard Bridge in Kew Gardens, Queens
What can you do? Apply pressure!
Send a letter to Commissioner Camilo of NYC DCAS, Councilmember Chin, and Mayor de Blasio urging them to extend the deadline for negotiations on EBM, and an open request for proposals if negotiations fail
Click here for a sample email, and where to send it!
