Clearing the Air on the Fulton BID
Even though the Fulton BID is now a done deal, some bad feelings still linger, mostly on the part of a group of small storefront businesses between Washington and Grand Avenues in Clinton Hill. Council Member Letitia James, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and District Leader Walter Mosley all made an appearance at a meeting on Friday…
Even though the Fulton BID is now a done deal, some bad feelings still linger, mostly on the part of a group of small storefront businesses between Washington and Grand Avenues in Clinton Hill. Council Member Letitia James, Assemblyman Hakeem Jeffries and District Leader Walter Mosley all made an appearance at a meeting on Friday night meant to address these concerns as well as to more broadly inform the public about the purpose and mechanics of the new BID. According to a post on The Times’ Local blog, James made the case that the existence of the BID is necessary to enable her to channel money towards the upkeep and promotion of the shopping strip. After getting an earful from the family that owns the MET supermarket between St. James and Cambridge that will get hit with a $10,000 tab, Jeffries tried to get everyone focused on moving ahead in a constructive manner. We all have to figure out a way to move forward together, he said. While we can see why a surprise $10,000 hit would be hard to stomach, opposing the BID over a few hundred dollars a year—what most small storefronts would incur—seems pretty short-sighted, unless you’re afraid that your business won’t be able to handle the competition from an overall raising of the retail bar in the area. As Councilmember James pointed out, you only have to look as far as nearby Myrtle Avenue to see what a positive impact a well-run BID can have—they’ve managed to improve and broaden the retail and dining options dramatically without sacrificing diversity. (Maybe the Fulton BID can hire away Blaise Backer from the Myrtle BID? Ha, ha, ha…)
Defending a BID to a Skeptical Crowd [NY Times]
Fulton BID Approved! Buses Returning Soon [Brownstoner]
Fulton BID Gaining Momentum [Brownstoner]
I tried to post something about this last week and for some reason as ‘guest’ it never went on so i looked up my account again and here i am. About three months ago I noticed a flier in one of those Brooklyn paper’s you see everywhere while at the Outpost. Inside the paper was a flier stating that if you entered your child into the day care around the corner off of Fulton street it would result in a reduction on your BID fees. I went to other areas and found this flier in the paper in those shops on Fulton street. I wish I kept the flier because it seemed to me a bit strange. Why would someone get a discount on your BID fees if you put your child in a certain day care? Did anyone else see this? I showed it to a few shop owners at the time around there and they all seemed to be a bit confused. One even said the person who owned the day care was one of the people involved in the BID itself. Anyone else see this?
I support the BID–its going to be a wonderful thing for those that most travel the trash filled streets to get to the subway or to run an errand. Maybe the business owners on fulton will be a bit more conscientious about how they keep their stores and how securely they tie up their garbage. Oh and it would be so nice if even one dining option–other than subway or KFC were to open……
1.) Well there’s a sign on the window that says the landlord is repossessing the space. Glad to learn that isn’t true. My daughter misses the fries. Yaffa deli fries… not the same.
2.) Right, What, so… they’re not renting to anyone that isn’t willing to pay the new rents. End result: a tabula rasa retail strip, free to be remade with more wine bars and perhaps another organic deli or sixteen.
3.) Don’t know, I never noticed the 5-block or so strip in 2005, since I did not live here then. Now that I do, it’s hard to miss. And the businesses that are here, bless em, are being hurt by the vacant blight. (I assume.)
4.) Ironically, I wonder how close the Bleecker street rent is to prime Brooklyn pricing… I bet it’s not as far apart as one might think.
“I know Fish and Crustaceans lost their lease (after being closed by the Health Dept… but it’s not like that doesn’t happen to lots of places.)”
LIE!!!! They are waiting for clearance from the Health Department to resume operations! I know the owner.
“Right now it looks like Fulton is being mothballed… lots of stuff for rent, lots of stuff closing, very little opening.”
Nope the retards believe they are going to get big rent from Fulton St.
“It looks worse than it ever did. Funny, go up to Nostrand and there’s a vital, booming business district… but fancy Clinton Hill? Not so much.”
From what point Heather 2005????
The What
Someday this war is gonna end…
“She’s not entirely sure the tenant won’t rip her off, but she didn’t have a whole lot of options in this market.”
Your “friend” is ahead of the curve!
I wonder if all of the empty storefronts on Fulton aren’t empty in anticipation of this change, and the increased rents they can charge.
I know Fish and Crustaceans lost their lease (after being closed by the Health Dept… but it’s not like that doesn’t happen to lots of places.) Right now it looks like Fulton is being mothballed… lots of stuff for rent, lots of stuff closing, very little opening. It looks worse than it ever did. Funny, go up to Nostrand and there’s a vital, booming business district… but fancy Clinton Hill? Not so much.
Anecdote: my friend who owns a house on Bleecker in Manhattan renegotiated with her tenant for a lower rent and a percentage of the profits. So I guess people do that. She’s not entirely sure the tenant won’t rip her off, but she didn’t have a whole lot of options in this market.
Fulton needs all the help it can get. It’s a dump. I live on Clinton and choose to walk from Lafayette when I’m on the C instead of Clinton-Washington, too sketchy. I only walk down Clinton on the weekends towards Fulton to see the progress on some of the old mansions and if Fulton looks any better. If they can magage half the success that Mrytle has had then they would be well on their way. I understand that I’m part of the problem becasue foot traffic is what Fulton needs.
Clay Davis loves this BID scam, sheeeeeeeeeeeeeettt !!
Yeah, everytime I drive down Myrtle I am amazed by the changes I have witnessed in the 8 years I have lived in Clinton Hill. It was definitely not a stretch where you would have expected to get a nice meal or find a cool bar. Now it is quite the destination and yet many of the old school bodegas and delis are still there so it doesn’t feel completely foreign to its old self. I don’t know if you can chalk this entirely up to the BID but if Fulton has even half of this kind of Renaissance then we in the NE corner of CLinton Hill will be happy.
Quoting from the NYP article:
“Dozens of often bitter mom-and-pop businesses … were booted for high-rises that never rose.” But that’s not what’s happening here. This isn’t a rezoning or redevelopment proposal; it’s the formation of a business improvement district.
Also, it is my understanding that the patriarch of the Fulton Met Food empire submitted ballots IN FAVOR of forming the BID. Now the son(s) are saying, well, we didn’t know we’d have to pay. What? They thought it was a club or something? Most properties will pay less than a thousand bucks a year.
DIBS, the government isn’t involved–that’s the beauty of a BID. How often do you actually have a say in how your tax dollars are spent?
And finally, I note that the assessment for the new BID to the east of Classon is more than twice what it is in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill. What do the property owners and merchants in Bed-Stuy see that the folks here don’t?