From the Daily News:The city plans to pump $500,000 into a vital shopping strip in Rockaway in an effort to overhaul blighted and storm-torn storefronts.
Merchants along Beach 116th St. — a gateway to the beach — will have access to grants for new awnings, signs and other improvements, officials said.
Deputy Mayor Robert Steel is expected to make the announcement Wednesday during a visit to Rockaway.
City Small Business Services Commissioner Robert Walsh said various city agencies are pitching in with planters, benches and better lighting to freshen up the strip.
Beach 116th St. has long struggled with shuttered shops and panhandlers from nearby halfway houses.
Many of the small business owners were hit doubly hard during Superstorm Sandy, suffering damage to their shops and homes.
1 comment:
I get that the block needs help. But if it's all abandoned shops and panhandlers, why not pump the money into something that will attract private businees? Like a cop or two. Otherwise the buildings will just continue to deteriorate and the glass will be shattered by squatters.
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