The city’s Deputy Mayor of Operations Meera Joshi railed against the sidewalk sheds and scaffolding across the five boroughs. 

“Scaffolding today is soulless, green and steel. They shroud one of our city’s greatest public assets — our sidewalks and too often they keep us from the businesses hidden underneath,” Joshi said. 

City officials, including Mayor Eric Adams, announced on Wednesday a new study showing the sheds cost businesses in Manhattan thousands of dollars a month. 

The survey showed that restaurants in Manhattan can lose over $9,000 a month in revenue.

“As the survey shows, restaurants and bars are being hit the hardest,” Adams said. “In fact, restaurant and bars are seeing as much as a 10% decrease in weekly transactions in the six months following a shed going up.”

The scaffolding law was established in 1980 after a Barnard College student was killed when a piece of facade hit her. Facade inspections are required every five years and some building owners just keep them up between inspections.  

The survey comes as the City Council is considering legislation aimed at bringing the sheds down faster.

“We’re looking at a new penalty structure so that if someone is keeping it up for too long and not showing any level of work. We’re going to start increasing their penalties,” City Councilman Keith Powers, who sponsored legislation to reform scaffolding laws, said.

“We’re all looking at as well is a program where we might actually provide financial assistance, low-interest loans or something else for buildings that really are distressed, can’t afford the work, to help them get the work done so the scaffolding comes down,” he added.  

Sheds may be a New York staple but the pesky eyesores to business owners who want them gone. 

“It damages businesses. If you’re working on a building, okay, I can understand it. Put it up, but don’t put it up for a year and a half, two years and don’t do anything,” Rohi Raffii, who owns a store in Midtown, said.

Raffii told NY1 the scaffolding in front of her store has led to public safety issues. 

At least one person could be seen near her storefront on Wednesday afternoon.

“You know how many times I clean up in front of my store because I had doing their business there. I mean, it’s terrible because this hides a little bit and people do whatever they want to do,” Raffii said. “After 11’o’clock here, it’s a hotel on the street.”