WestView

Following Public Outrage, Equinox Billboards Come Down But Swift City Action against Illegal Signs Is the Exception, Not the Rule

February 2010

By Andrew Berman, Executive Director, Greenwich Village Society for
Historic Preservation

Shortly after Christmas, Equinox Fitness Center shocked its neighbors by erecting multi-story billboards covering both sides of its building at Greenwich Ave. and 12 St. The giant billboards were erected without any of the required permits from the Department of Buildings and the Landmarks Preservation Commission (necessary because the site is within the Greenwich Village Historic District). They neglected to seek permits with good reason—landmarks regulations would have likely prohibited such signs from ever being approved, and zoning and building codes prohibit such signs in this residential district.

Scores of residents complained, and the Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation (GVSHP) immediately took action—reaching out to the Landmarks Preservation Commission and Department of Buildings to make them aware of the illegal signs, citing the building and landmarks regulations which made them illegal, and calling upon both city agencies to take swift action against them.

Within a few days the agencies had issued violations and warning letters, but Equinox remained steadfast in their public defense of the billboards, and refused to take them down. This is an all-too-common occurrence, as fines for illegal billboards are often small compared to the real or perceived profit derived from them, and the fines are typically slow to accrue. GVSHP urged DOB and the LPC not to allow these signs to remain up in spite of their being found to be so blatantly illegal, and to put the maximum pressure possible upon Equinox to remove them. GVSHP also wrote to the presidents of Equinox and its parent company, Related Companies, letting them know that this continued violation of the law and of landmark and zoning protections for Greenwich Village was an increasing blemish upon their reputation. We followed this with an ongoing media assault, calling attention to this affront to neighborhood protections and the character of Greenwich Village by Equinox. Dozens of Village residents complained to Equinox by phone and in person, demanding they take the signs down.

The City followed this by taking unusually decisive action, issuing daily increasing fines and freezing any other permits for the site. Finally, on Friday, January 15th, two and a half weeks after they went up, with no public statement, apology, or admission of wrongdoing, Equinox took the signs down.

This relatively quick and happy resolution is unfortunately the exception to the rule. While GVSHP regularly reports illegal billboards to the city and urges they be removed, all too frequently city agencies refuse to admit that the signs are illegal. If they are do recognize the violation, the agencies are often extremely slow to inspect the sites, issue violations, collect fines, and force their removal.

This has been the case with everything from the eight-story-high Gansevoort Hotel billboards, which the Department of Buildings refused to admit violated zoning regulations in spite of GVSHP providing them with plain evidence to substantiate it, to countless less high profile billboards and advertising signs scattered throughout our neighborhoods which do not conform with zoning or landmark rules meant to protect their historic or residential character.

Was the city’s swifter and more helpful response in the case of the Equinox billboards a sign of a new approach, or simply a capitulation to an unusually high profile public outcry? Only time will tell.

In the meantime, however, if you see a billboard you believe to be illegal, call 311 and report it, and get a complaint number. Share the complaint number with GVSHP, and if possible send us a picture and the address of what you believe to be the illegal billboard. We can let you know if it is illegal, and if it is, we can follow up with the city agencies directly to make sure they are inspecting, issuing violations, and pursuing the maximum possible fines. While this can often be a frustrating process, we have been able to get dozens of billboards removed and served with violations and fines. While it typically takes substantially longer than the two and a half weeks in the Equinox case, it’s still a lot better than just accepting illegal signage that disrespects the character of our neighborhood.

For more information on how to help, see gvshp.org/blbd.

Please Rate this Article: