On a roll against graffiti with see-through gates

The Daily News quoted Senator Gianaris in a story on the new roll-down gates required for storefronts, an initiative led by Councilmember Vallone.

Solid, rolldown security gates around the city may become a thing of the past - but not overnight.

A new city law, sponsored by Councilman Peter Vallone Jr. (D-Astoria), went into effect last Friday and will require that all new rolldown gates must provide at least 70% visibility through the storefront window.

But business owners who currently have solid metal gates will have until 2026 to replace those with the higher-visibility ones.

"This is a great day for security and for the landscape of the city," Vallone said at a news conference on Steinway St. in Astoria, surrounded by local business owners.

The law will also help police officers and firefighters by giving them more visibility inside businesses, and it will also improve the streetscape by eliminating canvasses for graffiti.

"The see-through gates will send a clear message - our communities will not tolerate graffiti," said Vallone, chairman of the Council's Public Safety Committee and a vocal critic of illegal graffiti.

State Sen. Michael Gianaris (D-Astoria) hailed the law as another victory in the war on graffiti.

"It will improve our quality of life substantially," Gianaris said.

Read the full article here.