New Data Shows Scope Of Bed-Stuy's Vacant Storefronts

BED-STUY, BROOKLYN —It should come as no surprise to residents in Bed-Stuy that vacant storefronts have blighted usually vibrant streets, particularly amid the coronavirus crisis' devastating toll on local businesses.

Recently-released data now reveals just how severe the trend has become.

The new data shows the lease status of every ground-floor and second-floor commercial space in the five boroughs through a database created after a 2019 law required landlords to register their retail spaces — part of a push by the City Council to get a handle on vacancies.

After being delayed by the pandemic, the long-awaited database was published this month.
Though the most recent data is from June 2020, it still provides a snapshot of the city's vacancies, including in Bed-Stuy.

Comparing Numbers

In the five ZIP codes that cover Bed-Stuy — 11216, 11206, 11221, 11233 and 11205 — 354 storefronts were not leased as of last June, the data shows. The ZIP codes also include parts of Brownsville, Crown Heights, Clinton Hill and Fort Greene.

That number is surprisingly slightly less than the number of empty storefronts tallied in the ZIP codes at the end of 2019. As of Dec. 31 of that year there were 376 vacancies, the data shows.

For comparison, Park Slope's 11215 and 11217 saw a total of 228 empty storefronts in June 2020. In the ZIP codes covering Crown and Prospect Heights, there were more than 300 vacancies at that time.

Nearby 11201, which covers the majority of Downtown Brooklyn, had 144 empty storefronts as of June 2020.

Over in Manhattan, Harlem had 416 unleased storefronts, the Upper West Side had 183 and the Upper East Side had 435, according to the database.

But it is important to note that the city data remains incomplete. Some vacancies that have been found by local Business Improvement Districts or other counts do not yet appear in the city data.

Some addresses appear twice in the database, likely signifying one building has two unleased storefronts or a secondary or second-floor unit vacancy.

The vacancy list also does not include the names of landlords that keep the properties vacant.

There is, however, a push by elected officials to force building owners to reveal their names rather than hiding behind anonymous LLCs — a move that would pressure them into leasing their storefronts.

Vacancy Hotspots

In Bed-Stuy, the number of vacancies should not come as a surprise.

Earlier this year, local researchers announced that they had found an "extremely high" vacancy rate on Bed-Stuy's six major commercial corridors after a months-long study of the neighborhood's businesses.

An average of 33 percent of storefronts along the corridors were vacant, with the rate reaching as high as 41 percent on sections of Dekalb Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard, according to survey results reported by Bridge Street Development Corporation.

In the new city data, some of those commercial corridors also appeared to be hotspots for vacancies back in June 2020.

The city count found 23 open spots on Bedford Avenue, 24 on Fulton Street, 17 on Nostrand Avenue and 15 on Dekalb Avenue. The two other major commercial corridors — Tompkins Avenue and Malcolm X Boulevard — both had less than 10 vacancies in the count.

Some other major streets appeared to be hotspots, too. On Broadway, there were a staggering 29 vacancies counted as of June 2020. Myrtle Avenue and Graham Avenue both had a dozen open storefronts on the list.

While the pandemic likely played a part, local leaders have more recently pointed to the role new development takes in driving the empty storefronts.

On Fulton Street, officials with the Business Improvement District said a slew of new development projects that wrapped up while most New Yorkers were stuck inside was the main driver of a five-to-10 percent spike in the vacancy rate on the dozen or so blocks the Bed-Stuy Gateway BID oversees. The new developments often bring new retail space that take time to be filled.

Take a look at all the vacancies found in Bed-Stuy's ZIP codes in June 2020 here:

Patch reporters Gus Saltonstall and Nick Garber contributed to this report.