Businesses, Be Prepared to Follow New Rules

There are new rules that certain businesses must follow in New York City now and in the upcoming future. Since we wrote our story last month, the new rule requiring food-related businesses to put their trash in lidded containers has gone into effect, and it will officially apply to chain businesses next month, too. On top of that, the ...

Get Ready for School in Lincoln Square

With one month of summer vacation left, some of you may feel it’s too early to start shopping for back-to-school, but now is the perfect time to get a head start and take advantage of deals before they run out. Students of all ages and teachers, too, can find everything they need, from supplies to tech to clothes and more, for the ...

Summer HD Festival Features Thrilling Opera

Treat yourself to ten thrilling performances from the Metropolitan Opera’s Live in HD series of cinema transmissions during the 14th free Summer HD Festival, which will run from August 25 to September 4. The free festival will also feature a special screening of the fan-favorite Moonstruck, co-presented with Film at Lincoln Center ...

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Skip The Stuff legislation went into effect on July 31, 2023. Businesses should now only provide utensils, condiment packets, napkins, or extra containers upon customer request. Click here to learn more.

Small Business Services Alerts

Last month, Regional Plan Association (RPA), in partnership with Streetsense and SharedCitiesSharedSpace, released Sustaining Commercial Districts, a collection of toolkits and resources for the city’s Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) and GO LOCAL!: Nurturing Neighborhoods & Advancing Equity, a new report that offers a series of findings and policy recommendations on empowering small BIDs and other public space partners. The project was supported by the NYC SBS Citywide Small BID Support Grant and the Association for a Better New York (ABNY). RPA plans to continue to support BIDs with ongoing technical support in the coming month. You can access the toolkit and report here.

On June 30, 2023, the Department of Small Business Services (SBS) released the inaugural report of its New York City Small Business Advisory Commission (“SBAC”), highlighting eight recommendations to assist small businesses in New York City. The recommendations address issues surrounding education and outreach, enforcement and operations, and licensing, fines and fees. Click here to read the report.

SBS offers a free series of multiple-session entrepreneurship bootcamps called FastTrac for aspiring and established entrepreneurs throughout New York City. Click here to learn more about how you can launch or grow your business with FastTrac.

New Electric Bike + Scooter Certification Requirements

New York City recently enacted Local Law 39 of 2023, which mandates certification and labeling of e-bikes, e-scooters and their batteries sold, leased and rented in the city. The Department of Consumer and Worker Protection (DCWP) will enforce this law starting on September 16, 2023. E-bikes must be certified by an accredited testing laboratory in compliance with Underwriters Laboratories (UL) standard 2849. Electric scooters, and other electric mobility devices, must be certified in compliance with UL standard 2272.  Batteries must be certified in compliance with UL standard 2271. Violations of this law can result in civil penalties of up to $1,000. Each type of battery, e-bike or e-scooter out of compliance will count as a separate violation. If you have questions about these new regulations, please contact the Department's Business Compliance Counsel at BCC@dcwp.nyc.gov. Please visit nyc.gov/fdny/batteries for more information on lithium battery fire safety. 

20th Precinct Sector A Build the Block Meeting

The next 20th Precinct Sector A Build the Block meeting will take place on Thursday, August 10, at 6:00pm at Dante Park on West 64th Street and Broadway.

Community Board 7 Senior Task Force Meeting

The next Community Board 7 Senior Task Force meeting will take place on Zoom on Thursday, August 17, at 10:00am on Zoom. Register for the webinar here.

Shred Day Event on August 24

Join Senator Hoylman-Sigal and neighbors for a free shredding event on Thursday, August 24, at the corner of 97th Street and Columbus Avenue. RSVP by filling out this form or by calling 212-633-8052.

New York State's Master Plan for Aging

The New York State Department of Health (NYSDOH) and New York State Office for the Aging (NYSOFA) have hosted a series of Town Hall meetings across the state to provide information to local communities and receive input on New York State’s Master Plan for Aging (MPA).You can view the proposed timeline, past presentations, and recordings here.

Join Goddard Riverside at the Lincoln Square Neighborhood Center on Thursday, August 10 at 3 PM to pick up age-appropriate school supplies from K-12 and a backpack to start the school year right. Find out more details here.