NEW YORK — Mrs. Mitchell has owned Mitchell’s Soul Food restaurant on Vanderbilt Avenue in Brooklyn for more than 40 years.
“On Sundays we have a lot of seniors and churchgoers,” said James Bromell, the restaurant’s manager.
Bromell says that since the Open Streets program began on Vanderbilt Avenue in 2020, many regulars have stopped coming on Sundays, citing disrupted bus routes and the difficulty of driving. The street is seasonally closed for most of the weekend, starting during rush hour on Friday and ending Sunday evening.
“All I asked was to give me Sunday. You know, I lose money on Friday, I lose money on Saturday. But again, I’ll accept the loss if I have to get Sunday. But they refuse,” he said.
The restaurant is one of several that have asked city leaders and the Prospect Heights Neighborhood Development Council, which manages this Open Street, for a compromise.
“We regret this, because our intention is to create a program that is a win-win for everyone on Vanderbilt Avenue,” said Gib Veconi, chairman of the PHNDC board of directors.
Veconi said the council has tried to accommodate Mitchell.
“We offered to create a neighborhood loading zone at the intersection closest to their restaurants so that their customers have somewhere to stop and pick up food,” he explained. “We also offered to help them take advantage of the foot traffic that comes to Vanderbilt Avenue by putting tables and chairs in front of their restaurant.”
It wasn’t the solution Mitchell was looking for.
“What they offered me was unacceptable,” Bromell replies. “We never eat out, you know?”
Complaints from entrepreneurs against the program
CBS News New York asked Veconi if a compromise is possible to prevent the long-standing company from closing.
“Oh, I’m not at all sure that the business will close its doors. I don’t know if that’s expected in this case,” Veconi replied.
When Kliger asked Bromell if the restaurant was in danger of closing, he replied that it was because business was bad.
“She’s using her personal savings to pay the salaries and keep the business going,” he said of Ms. Mitchell. “Because she’s not making as much money as she used to.”
Mitchell’s isn’t the only one with grievances against the program. Frank Widdi, co-owner of Foodtown Market a few blocks away, says Open Streets is a turn-off for his weekend grocery shoppers.
“They tell me, Frank, that I drove around two, three, four times. I couldn’t find a parking space. And finally I had to go to a store that’s further away,” Widdi said, adding that the problem is exacerbated by traffic congestion. “When they close the streets, other avenues and streets get clogged. So the goal is just being missed.”
Lynda Balsama is the founder of United Neighbors of Prospect and Crown Heights, a community group frustrated that authorities won’t listen to her.
She says three dozen businesses in the region have written letters to city officials expressing their concerns.
“Everyone was told that this was a beloved program, that the whole community was behind it. There was a bit of a game going on. But once we started talking to each other, we realized that wasn’t really the case,” she said.
The group collected more than 2,000 signatures from the community, including members of the local fire and police departments, who were concerned about emergency response times.
Open Streets has more than enough supporters
Open Streets advocates say the program improves safety for pedestrians and cyclists.
“There’s a second side of safety, and that’s people who need to go to the hospital. If you have a stroke, you want to be at the hospital within six minutes, not 10 minutes,” Balsama said.
In response to these claims, the city’s Transportation Department pointed to a two-year-old analysis of the economic benefits of Open Streets during the pandemic, but did not respond to direct questions.
A City Hall spokesperson responded with the following statement: “New Yorkers deserve high-quality public spaces — and Open Streets allows us to better utilize our city’s blocks as community spaces where people can spend time with family and loved ones and build community with their neighbors. Our focus on creating better public spaces has also helped improve the health and quality of life of New Yorkers while supporting local businesses. We look forward to discussing these concerns directly with business owners in the community.”
A town hall with Mayor Adams was scheduled for September 9th, but was canceled due to his COVID-19 diagnosis. More than two weeks later, a new date has still not been set.
This weekend is the last weekend of the Vanderbilt Open Street this year. It is not yet known if the event will take place again next spring.
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Hannah Kliger
