Upper West Side residents voted against transforming an empty newsstand at 72nd Street and Broadway into a new charging station for e-bike delivery workers on Tuesday night.
More than 70 people showed up to the public meeting for Community Board 7. Ultimately, the group voted 27-8 against the plan, with two members abstaining.
The proposed hub would offer delivery workers an area to rest and recharge their e-bikes. Currently, the apps that facilitate food delivery do not provide such a space.
In October, Mayor Eric Adams and Sen. Chuck Schumer unveiled plans to convert unused newsstands into rest stops for delivery workers, with the first one planned right outside of City Hall. The fast food chain Chick-fil-A opened a pop-up station earlier this year, but it bans e-bikes and will close in April.
The vote against the hub was not a surprise to Ligia Guallpa, director of the Workers Justice Project, which advocates for better conditions for lower-wage, immigrant workers. It also backs Los Deliveristas Unidos, a collective for delivery workers.
“Unfortunately not only our mayor, but the community boards have failed to understand the value, and to acknowledge the contribution of deliveristas," Guallpa said at a press conference held earlier in the day.
Several Upper West Siders expressed concerns about the e-bikes’ lithium batteries, which have triggered deadly fires across the city. The most common concerns were about the hub's location and the risks of placing a charging station so close to a heavily trafficked subway station.
“This is not against delivery workers, but this is about the site, which is particularly dangerous,” Katina Ellison said at the meeting.
Delivery worker William Medina appealed for the charging station's approval in comments that were then translated from Spanish and read at the meeting.
“The community has to understand that, whether they want us or not in that community, we are already in that community,” Medina said in Spanish.
Andrew Albert voted against having a hub at that specific location, but said he is in favor of the concept. He said the community has a responsibility to support deliveristas, who were a boon to the community during the winter and the pandemic, when businesses were closed to in-person dining.
Despite this, the deliveristas' hub may still move forward on the Upper West Side.
A spokesperson for the parks department, which oversees the placement of the new charging stations, said the agency would consider all feedback and concerns as it continues working to design it with Los Deliveristas Unidos.
City Councilmember Gale Brewer, whose district includes much of the Upper West Side, said she would work with the community board to find alternative locations.
"It's not an easy thing to find another location, but we’re gonna try,” said Brewer.
A previous version of this story misrepresented Andrew Albert’s position on the hub.
