2005/06/15 Council Agenda Packet

Impacts Identified in Studies in New York City Several studies have identified the impacts associated with adult entertainment establishments in New York City. In 1977, the City Planning Commission proposed a zoning plan to limit the concentration of adult uses after relating the proliferation of such establishments to economic decline, and finding a linkage between increased numbers of felonies and the concentrations of adult uses. In 1993, the Chelsea Business Survey concluded, after surveying 100 businesses located in that community, that dispersal zoning should be' enacted to prevent the transformation of Chelsea into a red light district. A majority of the businesses surveyed felt that a recent proliferation of adult entertainment establishments in Chelsea had hurt them economically. This year, the Times Square Business Improvement District (TSBID), after conducting a study of the secondary effects of the concentration of adult use establishments in the Times Square area, called for the dispersal of adult uses in commercial and manufacturing areas. The TSBID study shows that the rate of increase in assessed values for blocks with an adult use did not increase as much as the rate of increase on nearby control blocks without adult uses. The study also notes that there were almost twice as many complaints about crime for the study blocks with adult establishments as nearby control blocks without adult uses. Property and business owners expressed the view that adult uses located in the area, particularly in concentration, have had a negative impact on their businesses, deterring potential customers. DCP, as part of this Study, selected six study areas where adult uses were. located. Because Times Square was already being studied by TSBID, DCP selected study areas which had lesser concentrations of adult uses. Most of the areas are in the other boroughs .and in some cases contained only a single isolated adult entertainment use. DCP surveyed representatives from community boards, local organizations and local businesses, as well as real estate brokers, police and sanitation officers, and representatives of the adult entertainment industry to gather information on land use, street conditions, signage, and impacts. An analysis of assessed values and crime data was also made. The six study areas are shown on the map following page 49. Many residents and community organizations cited adult entertainment establishments as having significant or potentially significant negative impacts in their communities. Real estate brokers indicated that such establishments have negative impacts on property values. These findinss are consistent with the data found in the TSBID study and the Chelsea Business Survev, along with other data described in more detail in this report. V EVER00096