Neat enough for you? A new ordinance regulating newsracks in the public way as well as enabling the city to consolidate print media in kool kiosks moved through the City Plan Commission Wednesday night.
At issue are the sometimes haphazard placement of the displays, their occasional motley appearance, as well as their potential obstruction of pedestrian passage and vehicle sight lines.
Click here to read coverage the city’s initial announcement of the plan earlier this month.
The city hopes the ordinance will improve what planners call the visual streetscape. Some media outlets — notably the New Haven Register and the New Haven Advocate — have expressed reservations, fearing that licensed newsracks will give politicians the ability to censor critical newspapers.
John Prokop, the director of the department of public works, formally submitted the draft of the ordinance to the Board of Alderman in a letter dated March 24, but the blessing of the City Plan Commission is also required. It was bestowed Wednesday night.
The ordinance calls for a fee-charging permitting process, in addition to regulation of maintenance and placement. Prokop’s letter indicated the Town Green Special Services District, in which newspapers, pamphlets, and other printed give-away displays abound, in particular supports the proposed ordinance.
One of the reasons no regulations currently exist, it is suggested, is that the ordinance-makers and lawyers had concerns about constitutional issues. City officials say they will take pains to consult with media companies so they will not feel any infringement on their “free speech” occurs, especially in the cool new consolidated kiosks.
The proposed ordinance text language received a vote of passage by the City Plan Commissioners Wednesday night. It has been assigned to the Legislative Committee of the Board of Alderman. The Public Works and Traffic and Parking departments will also be submitting advisory reports on the item.