A Bid for a Big BID

by Eve Neumann
September 2, 2025

Northside BID proposal at halfway point toward approval

Some of the businesses in the area of the proposed Northside BID that will cover around 220 block faces, which would make it more than five times the size of the other BIDs in North Brooklyn. This BID’s main focus will be for maintenance for the various parks and open spaces/streets in the neighborhood and 7-days-a-week sanitation. Photo credit: Lori Ann Doyon

An increase in sanitation, more park maintenance, and more community assistance are all the proposed outcomes of a new Northside Business Improvement District (BID) in North Brooklyn.

Largely led by the North Brooklyn Parks Alliance (NBK Parks) and support from local elected officials, the Northside BID will cover around 220 block faces. It will stretch from the east side of Bedford Avenue to the Kent Avenue waterfront in one direction, and from Grand Street to N 15th Street in the other direction.

“For decades, North Brooklyn was treated by the city as a dumping ground. During that era, we only received pollution and divestment, not organized support. The proposal to create a BID here recognizes how far we’ve come and affirms that this is an incredible community worthy of investment,” stated NYS Assembly Member Emily Gallagher.

BIDs are formed to expand on improvements and maintenance in a defined area, extending beyond government provided services. BIDs get their funds through assessments, in which property owners are taxed. 100% of the money is distributed back to the BID to be used for improvements to the area.

The first steps taken towards the formation of the Northside BID began in 2023. According to Katie Denny Horowitz, executive director of NBK Parks, the process has so far mainly involved “internal planning” and community outreach.

Organizers formed a steering committee, made up of various community members, such as property owners. Following the formation of the committee, a needs survey was sent out, allowing North Brooklyn residents and property owners to share what they think is the most important for the improvement of the neighborhood.

Horowitz explained that according to the results of the needs survey, the largest concern from residents was sanitation and maintenance for open spaces. As a result, the plan for the BID will largely focus on 7-days-a-week sanitation, and maintenance for the various parks in the neighborhood.

In the upcoming months, a ballot will be both shared digitally and mailed to all of the properties in the defined area, where business and property owners can vote whether they want the BID to go into effect. The BID must reach a 51% majority approval for it to pass. For the Northside BID, the assessment rate will depend on assessed property value and commercial square footage. The assessment formula as to what the businesses are to be taxed is to be included in the ballot.

“It will range depending on if you’re a commercial property owner, if you’re in a single family home, if you’re a waterfront condo owner. Anyone who has those numbers on hand, assess value and commercial square footage, they can calculate their formula,” said Horowitz.

The formation of the Northside BID has received support from city government leaders, such as NYC Council Member Lincoln Restler and NYC Council Member Jennifer Gutiérrez.

“The Northside has long needed the support and structure of a BID. People come from all over the world to experience this neighborhood, and it deserves the same level of care, sanitation, and coordination as any other iconic destination in our city. This is a win not just for visitors, but for the residents and small businesses who’ve made the Northside what it is,” stated Gutiérrez.

The proposed area of the Northside BID is huge compared to the other area BIDs (Graham Avenue and Grand Street).

The BID has received some pushback from various community members within North Brooklyn. A petition was put out against the Northside BID on Change.org, as well as local organizations such as Berry St. Alliance releasing statements protesting the formation.

One reason the opponents of this BID listed on the petition is that increased taxes could mean an increase of rent for residents not in stabilized units and small businesses: “The BID proposes raising property taxes, which will be passed onto tenants and small businesses in the form of higher rents or fees,” states the petition.

Shannon Phipps, a member of Berry St. Alliance, explained that instead of creating a BID, there should be more investments in government resources.

“To have a BID, it’s a utopia…It cuts out all of us…The more undemocratic they can make our neighborhood, the better it is for their careers, and the people that fund them and they lobby for,” said Phipps. “We should be investing in our government, and our government can therefore reinvest in us…Taking money away from your constituents to put into your private business… and saying ‘trust me,’ that has never worked out,” said Phipps.