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Peekskill council pauses decision on Bank Street flea market after broad public comment
Summary
After canvassing downtown businesses and receiving petitions and public testimony, council removed the flea-market relocation item from tonight’s agenda to allow staff and the BID more time to explore options, citing parking, trash and vendor-competition concerns raised by merchants and supporters.
City staff and Business Improvement District representatives told the council on March 24 that canvassing Bank Street businesses produced mixed feedback about the Bank Street flea market’s footprint and impacts. The city manager reported staff and BID leaders spoke with 15 establishments; most raised concerns about reduced parking, litter and public smoking during market hours, and some said vendor merchandise competed with storefronts.
Supporters — including vendors and customers who brought petitions with hundreds of signatures — urged the council to keep the market’s current Bank Street location, emphasizing the event’s social and economic benefits. Several downtown business owners countered that the market’s expansion created parking shortages and added trash and restroom-use burdens. The council agreed to remove the item from tonight’s agenda and directed staff to return with more analysis of alternate sites (Brown Street, waterfront, the high school parking lot) and mitigation measures such as increased trash receptacles, vendor restrictions and business engagement. One council member clarified the record on a prior incident, noting the person who brandished scissors on 09/29/2024 was not an affiliated vendor and the matter had been investigated by BID and the Peekskill Police Department.
