The Main Street Deal
A Bill of Rights for Neighborhood Storefronts
New York's neighborhood storefronts are the backbone of our communities — yet small business owners face mounting pressures from repeat offenders, unpredictable leases, punitive enforcement, rising costs, and unfunded mandates. The Main Street Deal is a five-point agenda to ensure that the people who keep our blocks alive aren't left to absorb every risk alone. Below is the coalition's platform — a practical blueprint so Main Street can keep the doors open.
Safe Storefronts
A real plan for repeat offenders and visible safety on retail corridors — so small businesses aren't left to absorb the risk alone.
The problem: Owners and employees should not have to accept repeat theft, harassment, and violence as the cost of doing business. Storefronts deserve visible safety on key corridors and a real plan that targets repeat offenders and organized patterns.
Bills + Proposals:
Fair Leases + Less Vacancy
Predictable renewal notice and basic disclosures so businesses aren't blindsided, and long-term vacancies don't hollow out our neighborhoods.
The problem: The single greatest threat to a beloved neighborhood business is the end of its lease. Too often, tenants face sudden rent spikes, hidden fees, or non-renewal — with no time to plan. No thriving storefront should be forced out by surprise.
Bills + Proposals:
Fair Enforcement (Not a Fine Trap)
Warning + cure for first-time non-hazard issues, clear notices, and modern reminders — so compliance comes before punishment.
The problem: Too many storefronts get buried under confusing rules, inconsistent inspections, and escalating fines for minor, non-safety issues — often for signage and paperwork rather than real public harm. For first-time, non-hazard issues, compliance should come before punishment.
Bills + Proposals:
Affordable Taxes + Fees
No new mandates without offsets or phase-ins for small storefronts — so Main Street can keep the doors open.
The problem: Main Street cannot absorb endless new costs — especially when those costs show up as higher prices for residents and fewer jobs in neighborhoods. City policy should not stack new costs onto Main Street without relief.
Bills + Proposals:
Economic Accountability
Independent impact analysis before new mandates pass — so good intentions don't become neighborhood closures.
The problem: Too often, new rules are passed without calculating the real cost for small storefronts — until closures rise and the damage is already done. Before the City creates new compliance burdens, it must show the real cost and real small-business consequences.
Bills + Proposals:
A6580 / S451 — Commercial Rent Tax Reduction
Provides a 100% base rent reduction for retail and food service businesses south of 96th Street with annualized base rents under $1 million.
The Main Street Deal explicitly calls for targeted relief from the Commercial Rent Tax, which only applies to commercial tenants in Manhattan south of 96th Street. A6580/S451 fulfills that exact objective by providing a 100% base rent reduction for retail and food service businesses in that specific zone with annualized base rents under $1 million.
A10213 — Small Business Cure Periods and Penalty Waivers
Mandates that state agencies waive penalties for first-time, good-faith violations and guarantee small businesses at least 15 business days to cure issues before punitive action.
The coalition strongly advocates for "compliance before punishment" — a warning and cure period for first-time, non-hazard issues. A10213 legally mandates exactly this at the state level. It requires state agencies to waive penalties, fines, or revocations for first-time, good-faith violations that do not present a public safety or health hazard, and guarantees small businesses a cure period of at least 15 business days to fix the issue before facing punitive action.
$30/Hour Municipal Minimum Wage - Int. 757
City Council legislation — Int. 757 that would authorize the city to set its own minimum wage, rapidly raising it to $30/hour.
We oppose legislation that would authorize New York City to set its own minimum wage and rapidly set it at $30/hour. Stacking a dramatically higher local mandate on top of existing state wage floors — without independent impact analysis or a small-business offset — risks accelerating closures, reducing hours, and cutting entry-level jobs on the very blocks the Main Street Deal is designed to protect.
Elimination of the Tipped Wage Credit — S.415-A / A.1200-A
State legislation (S.415-A / A.1200-A) that would eliminate the tipped wage credit for restaurant and hospitality workers.
We oppose legislation that would eliminate New York State's tipped wage credit (S.415-A / A.1200-A). Eliminating the tip credit dramatically increases base payroll costs for restaurants, bars, and hospitality businesses — many of which are already operating on razor-thin margins. Evidence from states that have eliminated the tip credit shows this results in reduced hours, menu price increases, and, in many cases, closures of smaller independent restaurants.
Universal "Just Cause" Termination Laws
Any expansion of "Just Cause" termination laws to all employers at the city or state level.
Status note: A prior bill (Int. 1519) expired at the end of the last session. The same legislation is expected to be reintroduced in the City Council on or around March 10, 2026 under a new bill number. We will track and oppose.
Currently, under a 2021 NYC law, only fast-food workers and gig/app workers have "Just Cause" protections — meaning they cannot be fired without a documented, progressive disciplinary process or a verifiable economic layoff. There is significant pressure to expand these protections universally. We strongly oppose making Just Cause universal through city or state law. For small storefront businesses with lean staffing models, mandatory Just Cause requirements impose documentation burdens and legal exposure that are fundamentally incompatible with how neighborhood businesses operate.
I stand with Main Street.
By signing below, I pledge my support for the five pillars of the Main Street Deal and commit to advocating for the neighborhood storefronts that keep New York's communities alive.