As a business owner who has been invested in downtown Atlanta for several years, I have witnessed how the city’s disorderly vending operations have contributed to the detriment of the area. I applaud the city and Fulton County Superior Court for finally voiding the ordinance that permitted vending on public property.
The removal of disorderly vendors will undoubtedly alleviate some of the serious problems facing our community. From a public safety standpoint, there will be less loitering and congestion in front of the Five Points train station. Tourists, MARTA riders, students and locals were tired of being illegally solicited, harassed, addressed in lewd manners, panhandled and even intimidated by individuals hanging around the vendors.
Atlanta is a business friendly, ambitious, progressive and international city that should not allow these type of operations on the doorsteps of its busiest train station, on iconic Peachtree Street and in the heart of a downtown that accounts for the highest foot traffic of any place in the city. This gives the area a bad image, making it look lawless, disorderly and devoid of supervision and enforcement.
Some might think this is not a serious problem, but aesthetics is one of the most important features in developing and maintaining a city and civil society. One crucial reason cities have ordinances regulating and licensing street vendors and other businesses is to preserve the character and aesthetics of an area.
Vendors’ failure to maintain clean and orderly operations has directly impacted the values of adjacent properties and hurt brick-and-mortar businesses, as the reputation and image of the area gets tarnished by the chaotic and disorderly way these operations are run.
These vending operations have become magnets for aggressive panhandlers, loiterers and other questionable characters. Individuals make it their staging ground for whatever they’re engaged in. Some stand around harassing women; others panhandle or scam pedestrians and MARTA riders. Plenty others sell cigarettes in singles and conduct illegal activities while using vending operations as their camouflage.
These vending operations give the Five Points area a reputation of lawlessness and chaos. Their condition and presence has contributed to the detriment of the neighborhood. Businesses in the Five Points and Underground area are closing at an alarming rate. The ones that remain are struggling, and property values have a taken a huge hit. Unlike the vendors, these businesses are legitimate taxpaying operations that employ hundreds of people, pay premium rent, comply with rules, regulations and codes, and operate in a relatively orderly manner, mindful of the community that surrounds them.
Many brick-and-mortar operations around the vendors are clearly at a disadvantage when it comes to doing business in this area. These vendors, though operating in the same area and even selling the same products, are not subject to the same property and sales taxes, rent, and strict regulation and code enforcement as the storefronts.
Evens Charles is managing principal for Frontier Development and Hospitality Group LLC.
