Last week, a new Duane Reade opened on the Upper West Side at West 72nd Street and Broadway. While it does offer a growler bar and seems much airier than the usual DR, residents were livid about the 24-hour store's bright billboard on the second floor. One neighbor described it to WCBS 2 "almost like a strobe light... It went from a very serene environment to like being in a club. When I’m in bed, I can still see the flashes." (Just like Kramer!) But there may be relief soon.
The Department of Buildings told WCBS 2 that "inspectors will be issuing violations because accessory signs on a second floor cannot be illuminated." Assemblywoman Linda Rosenthal (D)—whose offices are half a block from the new store—had been fighting the sign, telling the West Side Spirit, "People are complaining because it’s not a stagnant sign. It’s flashing with products that we know are available at Duane Reade." But maybe not products at the Duane Reade one block over!
Of the DOB's decision to issue violations, Rosenthal is glad, but she worries that Duane Reade, which is now owned by Walgreen's, will just pay fines and keep the billboard going, "Often, businesses view penalties that they have to pay as the cost of doing business. I hope that Duane Reade isn’t one of those."
Still, one resident thinks the complaints are stupid, "If you don’t like flashing things, you should live in New Hampshire."
