{"id":1542,"date":"2022-02-23T19:49:54","date_gmt":"2022-02-23T19:49:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/?page_id=1542"},"modified":"2024-04-03T13:07:34","modified_gmt":"2024-04-03T13:07:34","slug":"vacant-storefronts","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/vacant-storefronts\/","title":{"rendered":"Vacant Storefronts"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"columns large-8\">\n<h2>Vacant Storefronts in NYC<\/h2>\n<p>New York City can be a challenging place for small businesses to operate. In addition to adhering to occasionally complex regulatory schemes enforced by multiple City agencies, business owners confront hurdles including rising rents, taxation, competition from chain stores and e-commerce retailers, and various zoning restrictions. Over the course of the last year, a slew of beloved local establishments across the city closed amid skyrocketing costs.<\/p>\n<p>In spite of this myriad of difficulties, the City has not yet conducted a comprehensive, longitudinal study of the specific disruptive impact that e-commerce has had on traditional retail. Several efforts have highlighted a different aspect of the larger issue of vacancies, though there was not enough data to ascertain the full scope of the issue.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/legistar.council.nyc.gov\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=3877885&amp;GUID=C0D2361D-766A-42E3-A5CD-F8DBB1C52E8B&amp;Options=ID%7cText%7c&amp;Search=2019%2f157\">Local Law 157 of 2019<\/a> seeks to gather data about the state of vacant storefronts to conduct the sort of studies needed to understand the full scope of storefront vacancy in New York City. The bill requires the department of finance to collect data and establish a public dataset of commercial properties in the City.<\/p>\n<p>Through an analysis of this data, the New York City Council Data Team has&nbsp;<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">investigated hotspots of storefront vacancies and potential economic correlations:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"margin-top: 10px;\">Overall, the highest vacancy rates are found in the lower and midtown Manhattan and downtown Brooklyn business areas. These are also the areas that received the most COVID-19 grants and loans.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top: 10px;\">At the neighborhood level, West Brighton, Stuyvesant Town-Cooper Village, Turtle Bay-East Midtown and Brooklyn Heights-Cobble Hill have the highest vacancies. At a more granular level, census tracts with the higher vacancy rates have, on average, 206 storefronts per census tract and are mostly located in lower Manhattan.<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top: 10px;\">While the vacancy rate hovers around 12% for most census tracts, those with lower income residents are more likely to have very high vacancy rates (above 20% vacancy).<\/li>\n<li style=\"margin-top: 10px;\">Improving current reporting of Local Law 157 of 2019 is important to fully understand the issue. Recommendations are provided below.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"columns large-4\">\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<div class=\"callout\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/73\/2022\/04\/nyc.png\" alt=\"Map of New York City's five boroughs\" width=\"80\"><\/p>\n<h2 class=\"header-tiny\">Vacant Storefronts in NYC<\/h2>\n<p>6,631 Vacant Storefronts<br \/>\n<small>Dec 31, 2021<\/small><\/p>\n<p>10.4% of Storefronts<br \/>\n<small>Dec 31, 2021<\/small><\/p>\n<p>1.09% Decrease in Vacant Storefronts<br \/>\n<small>2020-2021 Change<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a class=\"button expanded\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\" href=\"https:\/\/data.cityofnewyork.us\/City-Government\/Storefronts-Reported-Vacant-or-Not-Filing-Year-202\/92iy-9c3n\/data\">Download the Data <i class=\"fas fa-line-chart\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"button expanded\" style=\"margin-bottom: 0;\" href=\"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/\">Data Team Home <i class=\"fas fa-map-marked\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"button expanded\" href=\"https:\/\/legistar.council.nyc.gov\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=5665111&amp;GUID=2F6C6E85-E8DF-452F-BB95-3CC323E94208\" style=\"margin-bottom:0\">Read Committee Report (DOCX) <i class=\"fas fa-book\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<p><a class=\"button expanded\" href=\"https:\/\/github.com\/NewYorkCityCouncil\/vacant_storefronts\" style=\"margin-bottom:0;\"> Contribute on Github <i class=\"fab fa-github\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2>Tools to Evaluate Vacancy<\/h2>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"columns large-6\">\n<h3 class=\"header-tiny\">Local Law 157 &#8211; Department of Finance<\/h3>\n<p>Vacancy rates by neighborhood tabulation areas\n<\/p><\/div>\n<div class=\"columns large-6\">\n<h3 class=\"header-tiny\">LiveXYZ &#8211; Small Business Services<\/h3>\n<p>Vacancy rates by neighborhood tabulation areas\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><!---\n\n\n\n<div class=\"callout\">\n\n\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n\n\n<h2 class=\"header-tiny\">NYC Neighborhoods, 2021<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<hr>\n\n\n<strong>Highest Vacancy % (Count)<\/strong>\n<small>Turtle Bay-East Midtown (Man): 19.8% (218)\nGlendale (Qn): 19.6% (32)\nSpringfield Gardens (Qn): 19.3% (22)\nBattery Park (Mn): 19% (144)\nWest Brighton (Bk): 36.51% (23)\n<\/small>\n\n\n\n<hr>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"header-tiny\"><\/h2>\n\n\n<strong>Lowest Vacancy % (Count)<\/strong>\n<small>Kingsbridge Heights (Bx): 0%\nArden Heights (SI): 0%\nOakwood (SI): 0%\nGrymes Hill (SI): 0%\nLaurelton (Qn): 0%\n<\/small>\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n---><\/p>\n<hr>\n<h2>Vacant Storefronts Over Time<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"header-tiny\">Summary Figures of Vacancy Pursant to Local Law 157<\/h3>\n<p>Manhattan had the greatest storefront vacancy rate in 2021 of 13.77% vacancy, followed by Brooklyn (9.82%) and Staten Island (8.94%).<\/p>\n<p>Staten Island saw the largest increase in the storefront vacancy rate with a 0.46% increase between 2020 and 2021. Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, and the Bronx all saw decreases in the storefront vacancy rate of between 1.01% and 1.69%.<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"columns large-8\">\n<div class=\"flex-video\" style=\"padding-bottom: 60%;\">\n<p>  <iframe title=\"Vacancy Rate Over Time\" src=\"https:\/\/newyorkcitycouncil.github.io\/vacant_storefronts\/visuals\/linechartmulti56\/index.html\" alt=\"Line chart is showing borough-wide vacancy rate Manhattan having the greatest vacancy rate increase, 4.38% point difference from 2019 to 2020. The vacancy rates of Queens and Brooklyn overall also increased, while that of Staten Island and the Bronx decreased.\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"columns large-4\">\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<h2 class=\"header-tiny\">Borough Change, Vacant Storefronts<\/h2>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/73\/2022\/04\/nyc.png\" alt=\"Map of New York City's five boroughs\" width=\"80\"><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>2020 &#8211; 2021<\/strong><br \/>\n<small>Manhattan: decreased by 1.01%  points<br \/>\nBrooklyn: decreased by 1.69% points<br \/>\nStaten Island: increased by 0.46% points<br \/>\nQueens: decreased by 0.92% points<br \/>\nBronx: decreased by 1.42% points<br \/>\n<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2>The Geography of Vacancies<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"header-tiny\">2021, Council District<\/h3>\n<p>Vacancy rates by Council District<\/p>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"columns large-8\">\n<div class=\"flex-video\" style=\"padding-bottom: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Vacant Storefront by Council District\" src=\"https:\/\/newyorkcitycouncil.github.io\/vacant_storefronts\/visuals\/vacant_cd_2022.html\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"columns large-4\">\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n<div class=\"callout\">\n<h2 class=\"header-tiny\">NYC Council Districts, 2021<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Highest Vacancy % (Count)<\/strong><br \/>\n<small>CD 4 (Man): 17.01% (809)<br \/>\nCD 1 (Man): 16.03% (761)<br \/>\nCD 3 (Man): 15.36% (691)<br \/>\nCD 33 (Bk): 14.09% (278)<br \/>\nCD 35 (Bk): 13.83% (118)<br \/>\n<\/small><\/p>\n<hr>\n<p><strong>Lowest Vacancy % (Count)<\/strong><br \/>\n<small>CD 14 (Bx): 2.41% (23)<br \/>\nCD 13 (Bx): 4.99% (46)<br \/>\nCD 12 (Bx): 5.92% (50)<br \/>\nCD 10 (Bx): 6.19% (101)<br \/>\nCD 25 (Qns): 6.26% (54)<br \/>\n<\/small><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<h2>Neighborhood Characteristics and Storefront Vacancy<\/h2>\n<h3 class=\"header-tiny\">Median Income and Storefront Vacancy Rate, 2021<\/h3>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"columns large-9\">\n<div class=\"flex-video\" style=\"padding-bottom: 70%;\"><iframe title=\"Income and Storefront Vacancy Rate\" src=\"https:\/\/newyorkcitycouncil.github.io\/vacant_storefronts\/visuals\/sf_vacancy_vs_median_income_21_22.html\" alt=\"Scatter chart shows correlation between census level data on median income and vacancy rate. When the median income of a census tract dips below $40,000, the rate of storefront vacancy increases substantially.\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"columns large-3\">When the median income of a census tract dips below $78,000, the rate of storefront vacancy increases substantially.<\/p>\n<p>While the vacancy rate hovers around 12% for most census tracts, those with lower income residents are more likely to have very high vacancy rates (above 20% vacancy).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><!--\n\n\n<h2>Identifying Trends<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"header-tiny\">Clustering based on number of storefronts and vacancy, 2021<\/h3>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"row\">\n\n\n<div class=\"columns large-8\">\n\n\n<div class=\"flex-video\" style=\"padding-bottom: 100%;\"><iframe title=\"Storefronts Analysis by Census Tract 2021\" src=\"https:\/\/newyorkcitycouncil.github.io\/vacant_storefronts\/visuals\/cluster_map_2022.html\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"columns large-4\">\n\n  We identified areas in NYC that have higher than average vacancy rates as well as a large amount of total storefronts&nbsp;by clustering the census tracts based on vacancy rates and the total number of storefronts in that area.\n\nWe see that as the number of total storefronts per census tract increases, so does the vacancy rate.\n\nCensus tracts with higher vacancy rates have, on average, 206 storefronts per census tract and are mostly located in lower Manhattan.<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n--><br \/>\n<!--\n\n\n\n<hr>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2>SBS COVID-19 Grants and Loans<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"header-tiny\">2020, Employee Retention Grant &amp; Small Business Continuity Loan<\/h3>\n\n\nMap of employee retention grants and small business continuity loans by zip code\n\n\n<div class=\"row\">\n\n\n<div class=\"columns large-8\">\n\n\n<div class=\"flex-video\" style=\"padding-bottom: 90%;\"><iframe title=\"Vacant Storefront by Census Tract\" src=\"https:\/\/nyc-council.carto.com\/builder\/8a10b793-d0b7-4a94-8fc7-97fa2295b09f\/embed\" frameborder=\"0\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"columns large-4\">\n\n\n<div style=\"text-align: center;\">\n\n\n<div class=\"callout\"><i class=\"fa fa-money fa-4x\" style=\"color: #2f56a6;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>\n\n\n<h2 class=\"header-tiny\">Employee Retention Grant<\/h2>\n\n\n<strong>Top Zip Codes, 2020<\/strong>\n  <small>10018 (Clinton-Midtown West): $1,531,889\n  10001 (Chelsea): $1,440,080\n  10013 (Tribeca): $1,049,157\n  10036 (Clinton-Midtown West): $1,015,852\n  10016 (Murray Hill-East Side): $996,767\n  <\/small>\n\n\n\n<hr>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"header-tiny\">Small Business Continuity Loan<\/h2>\n\n\n<strong>Top Zip Codes, 2020<\/strong>\n  <small>10018(Clinton-Midtown West): $1,443,250\n  10001 (Chelsea): $1,277,750\n  10012 (NoHo-Soho):$986,000\n  10016 (Murray Hill-East Side): $816,500\n  10019 (Upper West Side): $721,000\n  <\/small><\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n--><\/p>\n<h2>Recommendations on Reporting<\/h2>\n<div class=\"row\">\n<div class=\"columns large-6\">The NYC Department of Finance currently reports vacant storefront properties to comply with Local Law 157 of 2019. Data is collected using an online portal, which allows owners to provide information about ground and second floor storefronts on their properties.<\/p>\n<p>In the current data set, each row shows a ground floor or second floor storefront that was registered with the department as of December 31 of the reporting year and legally required updates provided as of June 30 (or date sold if earlier) of the calendar year immediately following the reporting year. Currently, each row contains the property&#8217;s borough, block and lot number and the storefront&#8217;s street address (and zip code).<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"columns large-6\">\n<p>  Certain changes could be made by the Department of Finance to improve the overall usability of the data set. Those changes include:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Adding a column for the date and specifically the year of the data collected<\/li>\n<li>Streamlining the multiple datasets for each year into one dataset to allow for easy integration in live updating tools\/maps\/charts&nbsp;<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">and more accessibility to citizen data scientists<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Reduce geocode null values<\/li>\n<li>Require class 1 properties to update their status as of 6\/30 or date sold if earlier than 6\/30<\/li>\n<li>Require owners to report the primary business activity of the last business that leased the storefront as well as the current business<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<hr>\n<p><!--\n\n\n\n<hr>\n\n\n\n\n\n<h2>Legislation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"row\">\n\n\n<div class=\"columns large-4\">\n            Throughout 2020 and 2021, the Committee on Cultural Affairs, Libraries, and International Intergroup Relations passed the following local laws to assist artists and cultural spaces during the COVID-19 Pandemic:<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n<div class=\"columns large-8\">\n            The local laws include:\n\n\n<ul>\n \t\n\n<li style=\"margin-top:10px;\"> \"Open Culture\", temporary use of outdoor space for artistic and cultural events. <a href=\"https:\/\/legistar.council.nyc.gov\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4624929&GUID=B90498BF-95C4-435A-88DD-F751AC3503F7&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=2068\"> Read the Law: Local Law 8 of 2021 <\/a><\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li style=\"margin-top:10px;\"> COVID-19 reopening plans and resources for art and cultural institutions in NYC. <a href=\"https:\/\/legistar.council.nyc.gov\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4573815&GUID=022F6887-B312-4DA7-84F3-733C6519178C&Options=&Search=\"> Read the Law: Local Law 86 of 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n \t\n\n<li style=\"margin-top:10px;\"> Coordinating the use of open space for art and cultural programming. <a href=\"https:\/\/legistar.council.nyc.gov\/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=4624835&GUID=DE4795B4-9D73-463D-A96F-3F71B41A7C7B&Options=ID%7CText%7C&Search=7\"> Read the Law: Local Law 7 of 2020<\/a><\/li>\n\n\n<\/ul>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n\n\n<hr>\n\n\n\n--><\/p>\n<p><i class=\"fas fa-comments\" style=\"color: #2f56a6;\" aria-hidden=\"true\"><\/i>&nbsp;For feedback, comments, and questions please email <a href=\"mailto:data@council.nyc.gov\"><strong>Data@council.nyc.gov<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Created by the <a href=\"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/\"><strong>NYC Council Data Team<\/strong><\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Vacant Storefronts in NYC<\/p>\n<p>New York City can be a challenging place for small businesses to operate. In addition to adhering to occasionally complex regulatory schemes enforced by multiple City agencies, business owners confront hurdles including rising rents, taxation, competition from chain stores and e-commerce retailers, and various zoning restrictions. Over the course of the last year, a slew of beloved local establishments across the city closed amid skyrocketing costs.<\/p>\n<p>&#8230;<\/p>\n<p><strong><small><a href=\"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/vacant-storefronts\/\">READ MORE<\/a><\/small><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":134,"featured_media":1681,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"page-nomenu.php","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-1542","page","type-page","status-publish","has-post-thumbnail","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1542","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/134"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1542"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1542\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1681"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/council.nyc.gov\/data\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1542"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}