Ali Yaglidere, owner of an ATM accused of blocking a sidewalk, heard the complaints of a displeased alderman: We don’t want this “hunk of metal” on “our Madison Avenue.”
Yaglidere (at left in top photo) appeared before the City Services and Environmental Policy Committee recently to defend the ATM that he has on the sidewalk outside his business, A‑1 Pizza on Broadway. The restaurant owner was cited by the city’s Building Department for obstructing the public right-of-way with the machine.
Yaglidere, along with Attorney David Avigdor (at right in photo), came to ask the committee at its meeting last Thursday night for permission for the ATM to remain. They argued that the machine is a source of vital income for Yaglidere during tough economic times and that the ATM is less of an obstruction than many other sidewalk obstacles nearby.
The committee voted to give Yaglidere 60 days to come back with a new proposal, including a more attractive ATM.
Handing out packets of color photographs to the aldermen on the committee, Attorney Avigdor argued that the A‑1 ATM is a minor feature next to the placards, planters, newspaper boxes, umbrellas, and even clothing racks that mark city sidewalks. With a footprint of 20 by 16 inches, Avigdor said, the machine takes up only a very small portion of the 19-foot-wide sidewalk.
Furthermore, Avigdor went on, the A‑1 ATM is a safer option than many other city ATMs, since it’s located in front of the 24-hour pizzeria. It is always lit and “there’s always someone in the window watching,” Avigdor said.
Finally, the ATM provides $300 to $500 of monthly income to Yaglidere, Avigdor said. It is a vital source of revenue for the business owner, he said, which allows him to stay in business on a street with larger and better advertised businesses.
“I have to tell you, this ATM is really ugly,” Board of Aldermen President Carl Goldfield (center in photo) said. “It’s just an ugly machine.”
“It really is not ugly,” Avigdor said. “What is it that you feel objectionable to this machine?”
“It stands out like a sore thumb,” Goldfield said. “It’s basically a hunk of metal.”
Broadway is an important entry point to the city, Goldfield said, and it has undergone significant improvements over the years. “It’s sort of like our face. And you always want to put on a nice face,” he said. “An ATM sitting on the sidewalk just doesn’t have any class at all.”
“I’d be more than happy to explore possibilities,” Attorney Avigdor said. He offered to consult the ATM company to see if there was a more aesthetically pleasing model available, perhaps one with “a telephone booth-like enclosure.”
Goldfield expressed his willingness to consider different models. He drew a comparison with New York City’s Canal Street and Madison Avenue, two streets with very different characters that should be preserved. “This is our Madison Avenue,” Goldfield said, referring to Broadway.
The committee voted to give Yaglidere 60 days to research other ATM options and come back for more discussion.