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Fast Food Restaurants May Get Zoned Out of Some NYC Areas
By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 24, 2010
Modified Mar 24, 2010
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By
John Del Signore
Published Mar 24, 2010
Modified Mar 24, 2010
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Last year, Queens Councilman Eric Gioia proposed that new fast food restaurants should be prohibited from opening within one-tenth of a mile of NYC schools. Now Council Speaker Christine Quinn wants the newly formed City Charter Commission to examine whether "the zoning resolution should be reworked to establish fast-food restaurants as an entity separate and apart from other restaurants." Quinn says she's "frustrated" that fast food restaurants are not differentiated from other establishments in the city's charter, making it difficult to limit them in poor neighborhoods.
Quinn made her remarks at a gathering yesterday to announce a CUNY report comparing childhood obesity in London and New York. [PDF] The study determined that while childhood obesity affects all groups, it's becoming increasingly concentrated among low income children and neighborhoods in both cities. "I want to take on the fast food companies who mercilessly lure children into excessive calorie consumption," London mayor Boris Johnson tells the Epoch Times. "If schools can help create minifarms we could cultivate a nation of enthused Jamie Oliver's."
In New York City, nearly 40% of kids in kindergarten to eighth grade are obese or overweight, but only 23% of those entering school in London are, according to the report. Quinn expressed dismay that London was moving more quickly to battle fast food companies. "As someone whose last name is Quinn," she told the gather. "I can't stand that London can do anything better than us. If you wanted to pick a city to motivate me, you did." Meanwhile, the new health care bill is bringing NYC's fast food calorie info law to a national level!
The health care bill signed into law yesterday by President Obama will require every major restaurant chain in the nation to display calorie information on their menus and drive-through signs. The measure is modeled after NYC's controversial calorie law, and requires restaurant chains with 20 or more outlets to disclose the info, possibly starting as soon as next year.
Naturally, some see this as just another step towards Big Brother Obammunism. "Frankly, it seems to me that whether I’m buying an apple or a Big Mac from McDonald’s, if they want to sell it to me without any information, I have a perfect right to buy it," said Sam Kazman, general counsel for the Competitive Enterprise Institute, tells the Times. And this is only the beginning! "They’ll decide the font’s not big enough or the words are not scary enough and they’ll push for more," predicts Kazan.
Tagged
calorie info
christine quinn
City Council
fast food
zoning
John Del Signore
Originally from the Albany area, John Del Signore has called NYC home since 1995. In addition to his thousands of meticulously-crafted bespoke blog posts for Gothamist, his writing has also been published in The Awl, Deadspin, The Nervous Breakdown, and performed at The Brick Theater in Brooklyn.
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Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations
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