Yorktown Continues Outdoor-Permit-Fee Waivers

Yorktown will continue its waiver of fees for sidewalk sales and outdoor dining.

“We are committed to helping our merchants survive and thrive,” said Supervisor Matt Slater. “The permit-fee waiver is one of several actions we took to help our community recover from the pandemic downturn.”

The permit-fee waiver began in 2020 as part of Yorktown’s effort to help local retailers during the pandemic.

“Throughout the pandemic, the Yorktown Chamber of Commerce advocated for policies that allowed businesses to quickly adapt,” said chamber president Sergio Esposito. “The permit-fee waiver was a big help to our local restaurants when they couldn’t serve food indoors.”

Other measures have included expedited permit reviews by the building department and the Destination Y marketing campaign, which launched in mid-2020.

To continue its support of local businesses, Yorktown, the chamber and the YSBA launched a new shop-local promotion on Black Friday. Yorktown: Your Home Base for the Holidays is a multi-platform promotion that celebrates local shopping, dining, and entertainment.

The campaign’s goal is to showcase Yorktown as a destination for holiday shopping and entertainment. It includes social-media videos that target various consumer groups and a vanity website that directs the public to the Destination Y site listing the businesses featured in the videos.

“This campaign is the start of a continuing effort by the town, chamber and YSBA to significantly improve the business climate in town for Local Small Independent Businesses,” said Bob Giordano, president of the Yorktown Small Business Association.

The hyper-local campaign runs from November 26 to December 31 on social media, digital and print platforms. The consumer targets are residents of Yorktown and surrounding communities in northern Westchester and Putnam counties. The social videos target different demographics, including millennials, families and empty-nesters.

A copy of Supervisor Slater’s letter to local merchants about the waiver is attached.