Metropolitan Avenue, with cones laid out due to a film shoot. (via Council Member Robert Holden)
Dec. 17, 2018 By Laura Hanrahan
Council Member Robert Holden is considering putting forth legislation that would increase the fee production companies pay for shooting TV and film—by a whopping 16 times.
The proposed initiative, announced today, is in response to the increased number of shoots in the district that residents say are restricting parking and impeding on local businesses.
Just this morning, for instance, Holden’s office was contacted by a business owner concerned about film crews taking up parking spaces on the bustling Metropolitan Avenue—something the business owner says will undoubtedly affect his business.
via Council Member Robert Holden
According to Holden’s office, parking has been be restricted on more than three blocks adjacent to Metropolitan Avenue on Monday and Tuesday because of the crews.
On Wednesday, additionally, another film crew will be taking up three blocks worth of parking adjacent to Grand Avenue—another busy commercial area in the district.
“It’s already hard enough for local businesses to deal with increased parking meter costs and unfair fines for signage before a film crew takes up several blocks of parking on top of that,” Holden said in a statement. “It’s outrageous that this filming is taking place during the week before Christmas, one of the busiest shopping periods of the year that local companies survive on.”
In an attempt to address the issue, Holden is proposing the permit fee, currently at $300, to be raised to $5,000.
The length of notice given to communities prior to filming, in addition, would also be increased, as the current requirement only requires a four-day notice to the city and a two-day notice to the community board.
Holden said the legislation he’s considering would help small businesses who are losing more than the worth of the film permits because of the parking restrictions.
“My hope is that raising the fee will make production companies more responsible and aware of the effects that their parking restrictions have on nearby businesses” he said.
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4 Comments
So film folks will likely pay the $5000, businesses & residents will continue suffering impossible parking conditions. And city will be laughing again en route to the bank. No solution. How about cancelling alternate side rules on film dates. The cleaning truck rarely shows up anyhow. Also the fee for filming
One of the major incentives for film companies to come to New York City was the lack of any charges to obtain a permit to film. Obviously that has disappeared, since this article states that a film permit costs $300. Holden wants to increase that to $5,ooo? That would further disincentivize the film industry from coming and spending money in the city.
If anything, I would lower or eliminate the fee, not raise it. Anything that takes away parking space is good. The city allows car drivers — and only the car people, to use our public space — the streets — as a place for them to put their polluting, gridlock-causing, two-ton steel machines when they are not using them. No one else can use the streets and waste public space that way. Just the car people. Maybe if parking were eliminated the car people would finally stop their polluting, space-wasting, and gridlock-causing ways. I get really fed up with seeing emergency vehicles that can’t get where they need to go because cars are blocking them. So free up the “parking” lanes.
While I think raising the permit fee is a good idea, film productions usually have very large budgets anyway. Maybe there should be limit to when and where a production company can operate. Filming in any business district during the busiest time of year should not be allowed.