Fulton BID: The Other Side of the Story
The Local’s piece yesterday on the Fulton Area Business Alliance felt like a bit of a take-down, so here’s the glass-half-full take on the five-month-old BID. Sure, there are still some business owners who aren’t on board with the program, which levies a mandatory tax on retailers surcharge on property owners along the commercial thoroughfare…
The Local’s piece yesterday on the Fulton Area Business Alliance felt like a bit of a take-down, so here’s the glass-half-full take on the five-month-old BID. Sure, there are still some business owners who aren’t on board with the program, which levies a mandatory tax on retailers surcharge on property owners along the commercial thoroughfare through Fort Greene and Clinton Hill in return for much-needed quality of life improvements and marketing exposure for the area. Many commercial leases allow a owner to pass along the surcharge to his retail tenant; to help out tenants put out by this, the BID was able to offer $500 grants thanks to Council Member James and the Pratt Area Community Council. But there are plenty of merchants in support of the BID (especially after the recently concluded ’21 Blocks in 21 Days’ program where BID officials met block-by-block with all the business owners) and lots of reasons right now to be excited about the BID going forward. On April 17-18, the BID will be set up at the Putnam Triangle giving away 200 trees as a way to draw people down to the long-neglected stretch of Fulton; MET Foods, which was once a vocal opponent of the BID and is now featured on the organization’s homepage, will be providing carts for tree delivery. Anything that replaces the illegal trade that has dominated this location for decades is a huge step in the right direction as far as we’re concerned. On the same weekend, the BID is spearheading a graffiti-removal effort up and down the street. In June, the BID has a number of events, from street festivals to musical performances, in the works. And in the meantime, the BID continues to work on bringing planters, bike racks and green spaces to Fulton. With all these positive changes in the offing, it’s still hard to reconcile why some businesses in Fort Greene and Clinton Hill remain resistant to the idea of investing in improvements that only stand to bring more consumer spending to the area when their counterparts on Fulton Street in Bed Stuy “get it”. Update: In related news, PACC and Bed Stuy Restoration are putting on a “Roll Up The Gates” event on Fulton this weekend to attract new retailers to the area.
Fulton Street Businesses Still Wary of BID [NY Times]
Heather, the owner of the property where Greenlight is located is paying his or her full assessment–that is unavoidable. Greenlight must mean that it negotiated a smaller “pass-through” than it might normally been hit with.
Interesting article. I liked the old and new business mix the times interviewed… kind of weird the Greenlight isn’t even paying their share of the assessment? They have nearly as much street footage as the Met?
Pete, Smith Street just sort of tested the water, with some of the services normally provided by a BID paid for under some one-time grant or contract. (The details elude me, if I ever knew them.) The FAB Alliance–who comes up with these names?–was created by an act of law and is permanent.
Did everybody see Avatar?
***Bid half off peak comps***
Smith street did this for awhile and did not renew.
So now street got dirtier again. FOr year of so was looking much cleaner.
OMG, Brownstoner! Please get a new camera. You’ve got a lash permanently stuck inside your lens and it always shows up when you take a picture of the sky. It’s been that way for weeks.
Brownstoner—thanks so much for giving the positive side of the story. While there clearly is a long way to go in terms of getting all retailers on board, the cosmetic changes to my stretch of Fulton have been already been substantial and very welcome. I am cautiously optimistic about a retail strip developing on Fulton that could mirror DeKalb and Myrtle in its density and variety. I think the consumer base is here.
Just to clarify, BID assessments are paid by the property owner and are included with their tax bill from the City. Most landlords pass the cost on to their retail tenants if they have leases that have a tax escalation pass-thru provision.
Please don’t perpetuate a myth. BID income is NOT a tax or levy on retailer; it is a surcharge on property owner, based on premise that long term increase in value of property will be eventual result of BID activity, which is certainly the case along most commercial strips where they have been implemented by local initiative. Please get it straight when you comment on this. Yes, I know, some leases make it possible to pass on such increases, but…..