Why does North Williamsburg need a BID?

Since the 2005 rezoning, the North Brooklyn waterfront has become home to many thousands of new residents and dozens of dynamic businesses. But as the neighborhood has grown and become an ever more popular destination, city services have not kept pace with the growth and needed maintenance of these commercial corridors and public spaces. Over the last several years the need for these types of services has become increasingly apparent, and a BID is a model that has consistently proven successful in tackling these issues.

A BID offers a model that incorporates a sustainable revenue stream (funding) to support supplemental programming and services for our commercial corridors, including supplemental sanitation, horticulture, stewardship and maintenance of parks and open spaces, events, collective marketing, holiday lights, and more.

With the BID model, local priorities/decisions are managed by local stakeholders, who are able to respond quickly to changing needs of the local community.

How are you ensuring this is an inclusive and democratic process?

For the Business Improvement District (BID) to be established, a majority of property and business owners within the proposed district must vote in favor of the BID proposal. This voting process is designed to be transparent and democratic — every property and business within the district will have an opportunity to vote.

The Steering Committee’s role has been to develop a strong, thoughtful BID proposal that reflects the needs of the community and can gain majority support. This proposal was shaped by the findings of the district’s needs assessment survey, and every decision has been made with the best interests of local stakeholders in mind.

Until now, there hasn’t been much to share publicly, as the development of a proposal required months of careful discussion, deliberation, and guidance from NYC Small Business Services (SBS). The process involved making four key decisions: defining the BID boundaries, identifying the services to be offered, setting a maximum assessment, and establishing the assessment formula. All of these decisions were informed by feedback gathered during the needs assessment phase and ongoing consultation with different types of stakeholders.

We’re now ready to present a proposal that has been refined through extensive community input. We believe it strikes a balance between equity and impact, ensuring the BID is fair while providing the resources necessary to make a meaningful difference in the neighborhood.

What stakeholder groups are represented on the Steering Committee?

BID formation Steering Committees must consist of a majority of property owners and business owners, and can also include local residents and community based organizations. Steering Committee members must be champions of the BID formation. The Steering Committee works collectively to determine stakeholders’ priorities and desired outcomes, and identify key components of the proposed BID, including the geographic area, organization mission, organization vision, services provided, maximum assessment, and assessment formula. Once the Planning Phase of BID formation is complete, and the Outreach Phase begins, Steering Committee members conduct outreach to collect signed statements of support for the proposed BID.

The NYC Department of Small Business Services guidelines say that the size of a BID formation Steering Committee must not exceed 12-15 members. The rationale for this is that too large of a committee makes it difficult to have a quorum at meetings, and to make decisions. The Northside BID formation Steering Committee consists of 18 members, which is larger than typically recommended, but it was deemed necessary based on the large scale of the geography being considered. The Northside Steering Committee includes commercial property owners, mixed use property owner, waterfront condo owners, non-waterfront residential property owners, mom and pop business owners, large business owners, business organizations (Babar, North Brooklyn Chamber), residents, community based organizations, and local elected officials (non-voting members).

Who would be making decision about the Northside BID?

The Northside BID formation effort was spearheaded by the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance, with a goal to improve quality of life in the neighborhood through improvements to public spaces and streetscapes. However, this is a community effort, one which has been championed by property owners and business owners throughout the neighborhood. Ultimately, a Steering Committee representing a variety of neighborhood voices and interests will work together to assemble the BID proposal.

Once the BID is formed, decisions about the BID, including the budget and any hiring decisions, will be made by a board of directors, who will be elected by the BID membership (property owners, business owners, and residents within the BID geography). Each member votes for their representative in their respective class – for example, commercial property owners will vote for their commercial property owner reps, and commercial tenants will vote for their commercial tenant reps. Any property owner, business owner, or resident within the BID geography has the opportunity to be on the BID board and be part of making key decisions about programs, services, budget, goals, policies, and staffing.

Why would the Northside BID services park spaces?

Clean, well maintained parks are an important part of the vitality of a neighborhood. Parks that are adjacent to commercial corridors are a proven asset to the businesses there, and are also a major asset to local residents, offering open space for exercising, picnicking, and connecting with friends. Our Northside needs assessment survey showed that the majority of neighborhood residents use the waterfront park spaces every single day, and that maintenance of parks is a priority for residents, business owners, and property owners.