Public Access is a Public Right at Bridgemarket Plaza

The Bridgemarket site was originally home to a fruit and vegetable market that convened under the Queensboro Bridge until the 1940s, after which time the lot was taken over by DOT and used by City agencies primarily for storage and parking. It was redeveloped in the late 1990s by Bridgemarket Associates, under an arrangement whereby a master leaseholder would operate retail stores on the site while the City retained ownership of the land. At various stages of planning and development, documents and official statements repeatedly reference that a key element of the site would be a landscaped outdoor plaza to be maintained for use by the public. The lease between the City and MADDD 550 Broad LLC (the master leaseholder from whom Guastavino’s and the other Bridgemarket businesses sublet) confirms that one of the tenant’s obligations is to operate a seating area accessible to the public in the plaza.

We urge Guastavino’s to meet its obligation to maintain the Bridgemarket plaza as the neighborhood amenity it was intended to be. The acknowledgement that the plaza is public is a positive first step. But additional steps are necessary to ensure that the space is open to the community, to shoppers at the other Bridgemarket stores, and to New Yorkers at large. That means removing landscaping that narrows the entry and blocks sightlines, adding new signage that clearly welcomes the public, and ensuring adequate seating. We hope for a quick and positive resolution to this matter.

MAS has an enduring commitment to the effective planning, investment, and management of New York City’s public spaces, including our longstanding work to improve the design and enforcement of Privately Owned Public Spaces (POPS), our work as founding members of the Alliance for Public Space Leadership (APSL), and perennial advocacy for comprehensive planning. As part of this work, we believe that across the board the City must do more to ensure that public spaces with unique ownership, operations, and maintenance structures are able to be accessed and activated as intended. This case underscores this need and makes clear that the City requires better enforcement mechanisms for cases when private business owners encroach on public space.

At the re-dedication ceremony for the Blashfield Fountain in 2003, MAS lauded the “new public plaza” that was part of the redeveloped site. Indeed, MAS’s intention in placing the fountain at this site was that it be returned to a location where it would be seen and enjoyed by all. MAS is committed to protecting accessible outdoor space as a critical component of the public realm. Public spaces are integral to the fabric of the city; we must ensure that private developers who have an obligation to create and maintain these spaces continue to do so.