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.
Dear Aldermen and Alderwomen:
I am sorry I could not be present at the City Services and Environmental Policy Committee meeting to defend the presence of Ali Yaglidere's ATM. That is because, as a Yale student, I am unfortunately not present each and every summer in the city. However, I certainly notice the impact (or lack there of) of the ATM during the academic year.
We all hope this city to be economically vibrant. This ATM is one part of that vibrancy. Given the early hours at which banks close in this city (4 p.m.) ATMs serve an important economic function for students eating late at A-1, Yorkside, or across the street at Ivy Noodle and Bulldog Burrito -- not to mention simply getting cash after classes to spend in on books and coffee and whatever else students (and other nearby city residents) spend money on.
Let me be clear. It would be a mistake, and a foolish one, to force the removal of this ATM. Moreover, I am incredibly shocked that this businessman is being asked to "beautify" his ATM, now, in the midst of an economic downturn. This improvement will likely come at a cost -- one I hardly think that any small business owner can take lightly in these times. This ATM, as he states, provides him with additional income, and we should be supporting, not harassing small business owners in this cit.
I really can't tell how this even became an issue. There is certainly no "obstacle" to walking on the sidewalk. During the day, there are carts with flowers, a burrito cart, and numerous other items in the sidewalk (and, yes, open doors). And, in each of my previous three years, there has been construction somewhere on Broadway, which of course is a much more noticeable and unsightly (though also necessary) impediment.
It is clear that the primary reason in the city's professed interest in gentrifying Broadway, providing an aesthetically pleasing entrance to the city. It is doubtful, first of all, that many drivers say, "Ah, a gentile street, but look a large ATM, how ugly." Secondly, it's not that unsightly.
Understandably, the city also has an interest in enforcing building codes and regulations. In this case, the Board of Aldermen should simply direct Yaglidere to obtain a permit (which should be granted), and that should be the end of the matter. If Mr. Yaglidere can obtain a "prettier" machine free of charge (though clearly not free of time), then at this point, that would likely be the outcome most acceptable to all parties.
Lastly, the practical: I would much rather, as a resident of New Haven and a Yale student, use this ATM at 1 a.m. than either the one next to the closed and deserted Barnes & Noble, and certainly more than the one in front of Toad's. This ATM is safe, it's convenient, and in the midst of a recession, the city has bigger and better things on which to focus.
I realize this is a fairly mundane matter in the grand scheme of things. This isn't about closing senior centers, or approving I.D. cards, but something about this just seems so unbelievably inappropriate -- in the grand scheme of things. So come 60 days from now, if there is public testimony at the the committee meeting where this heard again, I'll be there to suggest that any action reagrding the ATM that involves financial expenditures be shelved entirely.
Sincerely,
Aaron