“Despite the Apple stores’ award-winning architecture, their revenue generation and employment opportunities, a group of Manhattan (NYC) residents is circulating a petition to block the opening of the future Upper East Side Apple store, calling it ‘the wrong store in the wrong place,” Gary Allen reports for ifoAppleStore.
“The residents say the store will create a ‘serious disruption’ for their quiet residential community, with long lines of customers on narrow sidewalks, overnight camp-outs for new products, delivery truck congestion and street vendor food carts crowding the area,” Allen reports. “They are pursuing a solution through city government for now, but warn of future street demonstrations to support their cause.”
“Apple has already obtained the necessary permits for the store, and interior construction is well underway inside a 1921-era limestone building on Madison Avenue at 74th Street that was once a bank, art gallery and luxury retailer VBH,” Allen reports. “The store could open this fall, perhaps before Thanksgiving. So far, over 325 people have signed the anti-store petition, and movement coordinator George Osborne says he expects to reach 500 signatures soon. ‘This has been a quiet residential neighborhood for decades,’ Osborne says, ‘and Apple is perceived as about to change all that.’ Apple will not be ‘an attractive neighbor,’ the group’s petition claims. ‘The reality is, there is no reason this store should be allowed to open its doors and create the kind of disruption to the neighborhood that will follow.'”
Read more in the full article here.
[Thanks to MacDailyNews Reader “Lynn Weiler” for the heads up.]
Remember when Apple computers where relegated to the back at compusa ? The good old days 😄
Debby Downer! You had to remind me.
https://www.google.com/maps/@40.773097,-73.964475,3a,75y,0.36h,93.33t/data=!3m4!1e1!3m2!1stO-o6XBDekpHMrANO_33mg!2e0
Wow…Madison Avenue is a “quiet residential community”…who new?
If they want quiet and no foot traffic, they could request the space be given to a Microsoft store.
Besides, the premise of the complaint if double false. Not only Madison Avenue is not really quiet much, but also Apple’s store is not going to kill sideways (Apple releases iPhones once per year, no point of lines outside the story at other times), and the cargo trucks are not going to be frequent, too (Apple’s goods are small and pricey, so small quantity of truck trips generates huge turnover).
That neighborhood is one of the richest handful in the world! I’m an activist in NYC, and it makes me chuckle to imagine those blue blood rich Upper East Siders pulling out protest signs and marching in the street. 🙂
Looks like an excellent location to me.
And only a couple of dozen blocks from the flagship 5th Ave store. Easy NY walk. Besides, all the crazy lines are on 5th- plenty of coverage. An obviously retail area, permit already acquired, construction begun, typical nimby over- and late- reaction.
What such articles NEVER EVER mention is that these protestors had their chance to speak their minds and apply pressure when the decision came up before the city council. There was no rezoning required, so the area was already a retail area. It’s so annoying to have the claims of protesters repeated without any analysis of their claims — it makes the reporters look like idiots…:)
Next time file your complaint before the permit is issued.
It’s not that hard to follow the permit process
Haters goin’ hate!!!!
I assume that the bank, art gallery, and luxury retailer formerly occupying this location did not attract crowds, since they are no longer in residence.
The residents had every reason to expect another retailer to move in to building that was constructed for retail use nearly a century ago. You have to be proactive on these situations, or you end up getting what someone else thinks is best. In this case, Apple saw the opportunity and took it with permits issued and interior construction already well under way. I don’t see this petition having any effect.
However, except for the occasional thieves ramming a truck through the storefront, Apple Store patrons are generally a nice and non-violent bunch. The crowds are just part of the experience.
Let me get this straight:Less than 400 signatures, hopes to get 500 before the Store opens, out of a population of 125,000?
Give me a break. Have you seen the Street view (three lanes of one way traffic with parking on either side)? I hope MDN, and all other blogs, ignore future “news” about these lunatics.
These folks are entitled to express their opinions about the matter. I don’t know that it is fair to label them “lunatics.” It sounds to me as if their expectations regarding this retail site were not met – perhaps someone promised them that it would be converted into some type of community center or something. Whatever the case, I do not believe that their protest will change anything.
I agree that we (media and everyone else) should be careful regarding how much attention is given to various minor complaints and protests. Just because someone is highly vocal does not mean that a significant problem actually exists. Smoke does not always mean fire.
These folks could always move to Houston, Texas. You never know what will be built next door when there is no zoning!
I guarantee you the super-rich residents of that neighborhood don’t want a community center. They want a shop that sells $10,000 hand bags, or something like that.
Just to clarify, when I say “super-rich” I don’t mean “above average” – the MEDIAN income in that surrounding area is either $137,000 (east of Madison) or $242,000 (west of Madison). See link: http://project.wnyc.org/median-income-nation/?#13/40.7714/-73.9628
Apple has already obtained the necessary permits for the store <–That's a zoning decision made by their local government. Go pester THEM about it, not Apple.
…but warn of future street demonstrations to support their cause… <–Which would of course… will create a ‘serious disruption’ for their quiet residential community/ <–OOPS. (O_o)
Upper East Side population: 125,000
I wonder how many iMac, iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch owners in the Upper East Side will prefer the convenience of getting their Apple products purchased/serviced locally vs going elsewhere.
More than 500, me thinks.
…… and all the demonstrators will be hired by samsung and microsoft
AHEM ! psychosloth and shameshlong
MUCH TO THE CHAGRIN OF THE NEIGHBORHOOD RESIDENTS !-)
psychosloth? shameshlong? LOL
How often do those Apple Store lines occur now? About once a year for the launch of a new iPhone? I would think the residents would appreciate the rise in property value an Apple Retail store would bring. It’s funny how so many other cities are begging for Apple Retail stores but these residents don’t want it. Go figure. Any opening day lines I stood in were very subdued. It wasn’t exactly a riot atmosphere or even a carnival type of thing. I’d say it was just like a mild social event. I’m not criticizing these residents because they live there and I don’t. I’m just a bit puzzled about the protestations. Some lines a couple of times a year shouldn’t be all that disruptive to a community.
Recalling the movie, Wayne’s World, I can image overhearing someone standing in line outside the future Apple store: “Excuse me, do you have Grey Poupon ? “
Rise in property value in the UES caused by an Apple Store? Wow, you don’t have any idea of what NYC is like, do you? 🙂
I’m glad they’re putting an Apple Store there, though. Will force some of those wealthy folks to run into more normals (who aren’t their own household laborers) in their own neighborhood.
I agree. The Upper Eastside is the most prestigious neighborhood in all of New York City. Having a brand like this is a detriment to the neighborhood regardless if it’s perceive cachet
If you wanted to live in Mayberry, why did you move next to a business district?
I don’t think Fred Walker’s Drug Store and Soda Shop is available anymore.
It’s always the complainers who make the “noise.” Pass around a petition in the same neighborhood for opening an Apple Store, conveniently located within walking distance. That petition will garner at least twice as many signatures.
If I still lived on the upper east side, I’d start the pro-Apple store petition. I’ll bet I could get 10x their numbers.
-jcr
And I thought that the people objecting change – any change – only live in Germany. Usually these are very middle class people who are proud of what they have achieved and turn to the wrong measures in their efforts to try to preserve their status forever. Luxury problems.
NIMBY!
They should be happy to have such a problem. Why do a few always make it difficult on the many?
These people are crazy. There’s no such thing as a “quiet residential community” in NYC. If they are look for quiet, they should be in the suburbs, but definitely not Manhattan.
Crazy, perhaps. Willfully lying, definitely. Whenever you see things like this, you have to wonder if someone is distributing “walking around money”.
Apple should present their proforma for the property development and ask the residents to pay for all the expenses incurred, so they can leave. Let’s see how many will show up with a check in their hands.
I cant stand that area and the next ave over, Park Ave. The residents are arrogant biggots who always get their way. If you ever got took the 6 train to 68st Park ave where Hunter College is you will notice the huge safety hazard at that station. All of the exits are on one side of the platform God forbid if an emergency took place on that platform. Guess what the MTA planned on creating an exit on the other end of the platform however the owners of the buildings blocked that saying it would lower property value and create too much foot traffic on their corner. Same goes for any kind of fast food or decently priced food that wanted to come into the area which would have helped me out in college but no they blocked any fast food chain that would hurt their neighborhoods image. I live far in Queens but I will only go to this location when it opens and I will camp out on the side walks just to annoy the hell out of them old retired rich bastards.
Apple should announce that it has changed its mind and that instead the space will be used — for free — as a homeless facility/halfway house for recently released felons – a pure residential use that will fit in perfectly with the “quiet residential community.”
That ZIP code is one of the top-ten richest parts of America, with average (not median, average!) pre-tax income of $252,392 (according to IRS). Keep in mind that in Manhattan, in every neighbourhood, there will be at least some low-income housing, so median income will likely be much higher. In this ZIP code, there are practically no one-bedroom apartments for less than about $1m to be bought (and many are much higher).
These are powerful people that resist everything, even if it is Apple store.
Yet with all that money, they chose not to buy the property, or pressure for it to be re-zoned, or bothered to attend city council meetings. Powerful people? Eh, I don’t think so. If they really were powerful, this wouldn’t even come up — there would have been no permits issued. I think what you’re seeing are the malcontents and the self-absorbed (wonder how many of the signatories live there) — which you’ll find in every zip code in every country.
The location in question is across the street from the former Whitney Museum—one of New York’s busiest museums and soon to become part of the Metropolitan Museum of Art. It’s not a quiet residential community, it’s just a community with a lot of money to throw around to get preferential treatment.
I see a nice connection to the Whitney Museum across the street arts-wise, as they sometimes do with the UWS store and its connection to Juilliard and Lincoln Center. Nice!
Oh my, I’m reading all the comments and I can’t find any supporting our cause. Imagine for a minute your butler not being able to find a parking space, your caviar delivery not arriving on time for mid morning tea, I could go on but these are real problems that must be addressed. The pedestrian problems of retail customers many of whom may not even live in our community will be the complete collapse of our quiet community. I will hire a firm to organize a boycott of all Apple products for residents in a four block radius to not use our phones for two hours per week. I could write more but it is time for my spa appointment and the driver is waiting.
Typical moronic liberal bullshit. These people don’t understand what creates the wealth that they live off of . Add to this, it’s hypocritical. I bet these same people want nothing but “renewable” energy yet they refuse to have a windmill anywhere in sight. Solar panels would make their buildings look bad or they would clutter up Central Park. An Apple store would mean more jobs and more tax paying citizens to fund all those do-gooder liberal money wasting programs. Apple helps fund the lazy life styles of a lot of worthless slobs who refuse to work. These people should be ecstatic.