Experiences Outside of Québec NEW YORK CITY BID PROGRAM. Robert Walsh, Commissioner June 2, 2009

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1 Experiences Outside of Québec NEW YORK CITY BID PROGRAM Robert Walsh, Commissioner June 2, 2009

2 Agenda History of New York City s BIDs Growth of BIDs Under Mayor Michael Bloomberg The Role of SBS: Formation The Role of SBS: Oversight BID Impacts: An Overview of Services

3 Times Square Old: As the face of the City, Times Square was full of litter, graffiti, adult shops and peep shows Today: Times Square is a major attraction for tourists, shoppers, hotels, restaurants, retail, and Broadway theatergoers

4 Union Square Old: Union Square s retail anchors close, vacant lots breed drug use and homelessness Today: Union Square is known as an epicenter of education, culture, restaurants and large anchor stores

5 34th Street Old: As City services decreased in the 1970s and 80s, litter, graffiti and crime increased and the area was considered unsafe Today: As an important transportation hub that includes Penn Station and the Port Authority bus terminal, 34 th Street is clean, safe, and full of life at all hours of the day and night

6 The History of BIDs in New York City 1960s and 1970s: New York s businesses and property owners begin to organize in response to deteriorating municipal services. 1976: Local property owners agree to provide needed maintenance to commercial districts and state legislation is passed to form the first Special Assessment Districts (SADs), Fulton Mall, Jamaica Center and 165 th Street. 1981/82: Legislatures in New York City and State pass Business Improvement District legislation. 1984: Property owners around Union Square Park form the first NYC BID in the 14th Street-Union Square district. By 2002: 44 districts have been established. From 1999 on, the city froze their budgets, refusing to let the property owners spend more of their own money on services like cleaning streets and sprucing up their neighborhoods. New York Times 2/18/02

7 Mayor Bloomberg Re-energizes BIDs Bloomberg put out an aggressive, 6-point plan to jump start BIDs as instrumentals tools that will catalyze neighborhood quality of life SBS focuses on organizing merchants and property owners around quality of life issues 20 BIDs have been created under this Administration, 45% growth, with 18 new BIDs outside Manhattan These days City Hall has been sending a very different message to the BIDs. Mr. Bloomberg put a former executive director of the 14th Street- Union Square BID, Robert Walsh, in charge the city agency that oversees BID's. -New York Times 2/18/02

8 The Role of SBS: BID Formation Through a team of dedicated staff, SBS plays an active role in shepherding business and property owners in: BID Planning Community Outreach Legislative authorization (City Council and Mayoral Approval) Over the last four years, SBS has invested $180,000 to assist 6 organizations with BID formation efforts; these new BIDs now collectively invest $2.6 million annually

9 The Role of SBS: Oversight and Support SBS District Development Unit has a staff of 11 working with the City s network of BIDs Oversight: Support: Represent Mayor as Voting Member of BID Board Manage BID Contract Track and Report Performance Indicator Conduct Fiscal Oversight Host Forums on Best Practice Sharing Sponsor Annual BID Conference Help BIDs Navigate City Government Offer Capacity-Building Workshops Provide Grants to BIDs that Serve Low- to Moderate-Income Communities Bring Top Government Officials and Private Sector Stakeholders to the Districts

10 NYC s 64 BIDs Invested over $98 million in services in Fiscal Year 2008, providing services to over 16,000 businesses. Manhattan (21) Bronx (8) Queens (12) Brooklyn (22) Staten Island (1) Red indicates BIDs formed under Mayor Bloomberg (20)

11 BID Impacts: Sanitation In 2008 BIDs: Covered over 3,100 block faces with sanitation services Collected 2 million bags of trash Employed over 530 sanitation workers

12 BID Impacts: Security In 2008 BIDs: Covered over 2,300 block faces with security services Employed over 360 public safety officers who respond to over 320,000 requests for assistance

13 BID Impacts: Marketing In 2008 BIDs: Held over 640 public events that drew an estimated 2.7 million attendees Distributed close to 70 million district guides Installed 2500 new banners

14 BID Impacts: Capital Improvements BIDs install streetscape and capital improvements and maintain projects ranging from: Street furniture Pedestrian-scale lighting Public plazas Signage News racks Times Square Duffy Square Renovation Downtown Flushing BID Signage Union Square Park Redevelopment Rendering

15 BID Impacts: Special Services BIDs respond to the unique needs of their districts by providing additional services such as: Beautification/Horticulture Holiday Lighting Social Services

16 What People are Saying So far, the evidence is that change is possible, illustrated best by the impressive renewal of Times Square in New York City. -Jerry Mitchell, Baruch College BIDs are one of the engines of New York City s renaissance. New York Times Our findings indicate that, on average, [New York City s] BIDs have a large, positive impact on the value of commercial property. -Furman Center for Real Estate and Urban Policy What is great about the New York City BIDs is the amount of support they get from the City government. University of Michigan, Urban and Regional Planning Economic Development Handbook

17 NYC Small Business Services Business Development: Serves businesses by: providing direct assistance to help businesses obtain financing, access incentives, and hire and train employees; simplifying the way businesses can manage licenses, permits, and other transactions with the City; supporting neighborhood development. District Development (including the BID Program) is part of this division. Workforce Development: Implements a demand-driven system of workforce development focused on matching worker training and skills development with employer needs and business growth patterns. Economic and Financial Opportunity: Promotes the growth and success of Minority- and Women-Owned Business Enterprises (M/WBEs) to ensure their participation in the City procurement process.

18 NYC Small Business Services City of New York Michael R. Bloomberg Mayor Robert Lieber Deputy Mayor Robert W. Walsh Commissioner For a copy of this presentation, please bidprogram@sbs.nyc.gov Department of Small Business Services 110 William Street, 7th Floor New York, NY (212)