Westchester County Business Journal 060815

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23 | FACES & PLACES

7 | THEATER REVIVAL JUNE 8, 2015 | VOL. 51, No. 23

YOUR ONLY SOURCE FOR REGIONAL BUSINESS NEWS

westfaironline.com

In Yonkers, a move to landmark a city mural BY JOHN GOLDEN jgolden@westfairinc.com

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A Yonkers resident waits for a bus in front of a Richard Haas mural panel at 36 Main St. Photo by John Golden

ooking to preserve and protect a prominent public mural from future redevelopment in downtown Yonkers, a group of Yonkers residents and the muralist himself are pushing city officials to grant landmark status to the massive work of outdoor art and three buildings that display it as a historic district. The city’s Landmarks Preservation Board in May voted to recommend the creation of a Richard Haas Mural District at 35 and 36 Main St. and 5 Riverdale Ave. The Yonkers City Council can accept or reject the board’s recommendation. Artist Richard Haas, a Yonkers resident who works from a studio in Manhattan, in 1997 was commissioned by the city’s Office of Downtown Waterfront Development to create “Gateway to the Waterfront,” a three-panel, 14,000-square-foot

mural depicting Yonkers history from its early Native American inhabitants through its 19th-century industrial heyday. The trompe l’oeil panels, which incorporate architectural elements of the buildings they grace and former buildings important to the community, are frescoed onto three separately owned buildings on the northwest and southwest corners of Main Street and Riverdale Avenue. The City Council’s Real Estate Committee, which will advise the full council on the landmark designation, at its June 2 meeting postponed any decision until it meets with owners of the affected properties. None attended the committee meeting. At the center of the mural triptych and the focus of concern for landmarking advocates is 36 Main St., a vacant commercial building owned by downtown Yonkers developer Nick Sprayregen and his Rising Development Yonkers LLC. Terry » YONKERS, page 6

Taxi companies object to Uber’s inroads in market BY DANIELLE BRODY and EVAN FALLOR dbrody@westfairinc.com, evan@westfairinc.com

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s Uber expands its fleet into metropolitan areas across the country, traditional cab companies in Westchester and Fairfield counties are doing all they can to push back on the tech giant that is taking business from them in an unprecedented way. Yet Uber said its growing user base enjoys the affordable, tech-savvy service and drivers appreciate its flexible work model. Buddy Boskello, owner of Greenwich Taxi for several decades, is on the front lines of resistance to the private company, recently valued at $40 billion. His company and 14 other Connecticut cab and livery companies — usual competitors for passengers — banded together

in May 2014 to sue Uber and fellow app-based ride-hailing company Lyft Inc. in U.S. District Court, citing unfair competition and economic harm to their businesses. San Francisco-based Lyft, citing an “uncertain regulatory environment” in an email to employees, suspended its Fairfield County service in February. Uber, on the other hand, continues to thrive in Connecticut despite the pending lawsuit. In its first year, Uber Technologies Inc. said its 4,000 driver partners in Fairfield and New Haven counties made $8 million after introducing the service there in April 2014. Uber launched its New York City service, which includes trips to and from Westchester, in 2011. “What is clear is that Uber has grown very rapidly, which really does show that there was

maybe a gap in the service and the reliability that people were looking for in transportation,” Matt Powers, general manager of Uber Connecticut, said. Uber’s independent contractors drive their personal cars to pick up passengers who request rides and pay for them through their credit card connected to the company’s free smartphone app. On the app, customers can track the driver in real time and see fare estimates as well as the driver’s picture, car and phone number. Riders and drivers can rate each other after the trip, giving drivers an incentive to make it a positive experience, Powers said. Some drivers offer riders cellphone chargers, bottled water and the option to change the car’s music on Spotify, which has a partnership with Uber. » UBER, page 2


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