Mayor Eric Adams on Tuesday named veteran city Small Business Services Department member Dynishal Gross as the agency’s new commissioner while also touting a precipitous drop in the number of vacant storefronts across the five boroughs over much of the past year.
The Mayor’s office announced the new appointment and the positive economic statistics as it continues to face an unrelenting storm of scandal in recent weeks, fueled by multiple federal investigations surrounding City Hall.
Gross officially assumed the role after serving as acting commissioner since June, when the previous SBS commissioner, Kevin Kim, stepped down. Over the years, she has also held other agency roles, including deputy commissioner for the Division of Economic and Financial Opportunity.
“I cannot think of a better leader to steer SBS through this critical next chapter than Commissioner Gross, who is an economic development expert, battle-tested, and has served small businesses and New Yorkers well for her entire career,” Adams said in a statement.
Gross also worked as a City Council staffer for five years, serving as legislative and budget director to the chair of the Small Business Services Committee at the time.
“With mission-driven partners, inside and outside of government, and infinite good work to be done, I’m thrilled to have the opportunity to lead the work of the Department of Small Business Services, and its amazing staff, in pursuing equity of opportunity for all New Yorkers,” Gross said in a statement.
Storefront vacancies on the decline
Gross takes the post amid what Mayor Adams explained is a slight but consistent decline in the city’s storefront vacancy rate over the past three quarters — from 11.6% to 11.15%.
Manhattan has seen the biggest drop (1.9%) over that period, and the Bronx, Queens and Staten Island have vacancy rates below 9%.
Furthermore, City Hall says 40,000 new storefronts have opened since Adams took office, which coincided with the tail-end of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to the mayor’s office, the industries with the largest growth in storefronts include restaurants, grocery stores, barber shops, and hair salons.
Hoping to further stir economic development, Adams is also directing $4.8 million to 64 neighborhood groups to boost commercial corridors throughout the city.
The mayor made the announcement as he has tried to highlight his purported accomplishments on the economy and bringing down crime in order to draw attention away from the cloud of investigations hanging over his administration.
It also follows a news conference on Tuesday where Adams celebrated other positive metrics, contained in the city’s annual Mayor’s Management report, aimed at showing what he sees as the successes of his first term in office.
“We are proud of what we have done,” the mayor said during a Monday press conference. “I told the team that we have to write our own narrative.”
