With a commercial rent stabilization bill advancing in Albany, we went out to ask Hell’s Kitchen operators whether it would help. Their answer: rent is only part of the problem — and not always the most urgent one.
When Sean Hayden looks at the books for Alfie’s on 9th Avenue, rent isn’t the line item that makes him wince. Water and sewer are. “Pre-pandemic, we were paying about $23,000 a year,” said Hayden, who is also an owner/partner at McCoys, Jasper’s and Dalton’s. “Now it’s closer to $45,000. It’s insane.”
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Catie Savage & Phil O’Brien often report as a team for W42ST, combining Hell’s Kitchen knowledge with journalism experience. Catie, a neighborhood resident since 2005, is W42ST’s Deputy Editor and a longtime community advocate — founder of Litter Legion, co-chair of the HK49-54 Block Alliance, and a member of Manhattan Community Board 4. Phil is W42ST’s Publisher & Editor, a former international photojournalist (he photographed Nelson Mandela, Mother Teresa and Princess Diana) and the founder of EMPICS, once Getty Images’ major European sports photo competitor. Phil has lived in New York since 2012 and founded W42ST in 2014. Together, they cover stories where local lived experience and accountability reporting meet.