To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing to urge you to take whatever steps you can to ensure that Vanderbilt Open Streets does not continue in 2024.
My busiest day of the week is Saturday. Many customers come to my store by car and during Open Streets weekends, they are unable to find any place to park. They cannot, therefore, access my store. In fact, a number of my customers have told me that because they can no longer park near my business, they are having to go to another business. This, of course, means I am losing business and long-term customers.
Further, from my customers who live on Vanderbilt Avenue, I hear complaints about the noise and crowds due to Open Streets. They find it inconvenient and annoying as they cannot enjoy quiet weekends at home.
I understand that the Open Streets initiative was put into place to benefit small businesses. However, since this initiative is harming small businesses like mine, there does not seem to be a rationale for keeping it in place.
Thank you in advance for anything you can do.