. >> i'm ron mcgel.ince 1938 our family has owned two buildings with ground floor retail businesses over 80 years. in spite of that, property owners and n.c.d.s were never notified of this legislation. we have been fortunate that neither of these spaces have ever been vacant. however, i've been obligated to drastically reduce the rent on one of them and defer any increase on the other, despite rising costs. we're only one of a multitude of small property owners that work with their tenants at a time when the entire retail business concept is drastically changing. you see it with major businesses in the union square area, as well as our n.c.d.s. our retail is undergoing far-reaching transformation. this legislation attempts to put a band-aid on a crisis and fails to acknowledge our current and particularly future retail reality. the action is a slap in the face, a stick without a carrot. other approaches might be to allow small office space, incubation space, p.d.r., or others which are now prohibited by