Manhattan City committee denies Adidas permit, approves Saint Anthony's fundraiser; members question event timelines

A Manhattan City committee unanimously denied a permit for an Adidas event and unanimously approved a multi-day fundraising permit for Saint Anthony’s, members said during a discussion about the timing of special-event applications and post-event reviews.

The committee’s staff member summarized the actions: “That was a load in load out only. Adidas event, no show, unanimous denial, and then our friends at Saint Anthony's throwing a fundraiser event to make repairs for the building that we currently can't have meetings in. Multi day, permit. This was unanimous approved. And then 19 through 34 are FYI renewals,” the staff member said.

Committee members said the city’s special-events permitting timelines contribute to late or post-event approvals and reduce the panel’s ability to influence event placement and notification. “As far as I'm aware, yes. Because of the timelines that SAP requires,” a committee member said, adding that short-notice pop-up events are a common source of the timing mismatch. “I do think it's sort of an unfortunate trade off of the generally smaller scale of the things we see.”

Another committee member who identified themselves as serving on the panel said the committee often approves events when applicants appear and comply with requirements, even when votes occur after the fact. “We're not weighing in on the value to the community of these things. So because of that, the appearance of the applicant is also often useful because they're appearing before the event, and we can give them useful feedback about placement and notification and, encourage them to do the event better,” they said.

Members also described ongoing, real-time coordination between the committee leadership, the agency referred to as SAPO in the meeting, and the NYPD when issues arise during events. The committee member described outreach and education efforts by SAPO and said committee chairs sometimes join SAPO and NYPD walk-throughs for events that occur mid-cycle.

Committee business noted that items numbered 19 through 34 on the agenda were informational renewals. A separate procedural note on the agenda indicated there are 18 resolutions slated for a vote; a committee member asked, “Are there any other clarifying questions?” as staff prepared to distribute microphones for further discussion.

A resident raised a separate concern about a sidewalk grilling request at 218 Thompson Street and said they had provided still images and a video showing a response by the fire department, but the resident was not informed of the final outcome: “They did come. The fire department did come, but I don't know the, the conclusion,” the resident said.

No specific vote tallies or individual member recordings were provided in the meeting transcript for the Adidas denial or the Saint Anthony's approval; the meeting record described both outcomes as unanimous. The committee did not record a final vote on the 18 resolutions in the excerpt provided.

Members said they intend to continue coordinating with SAPO and other agencies on compliance and post-event follow-up; the pending 18 resolutions remained on the agenda for vote and may be addressed in the meeting’s next segment.