Category: Featured Business

A Business Improvement District (BID) is a geographical area where local stakeholders oversee and fund the maintenance, improvement, and promotion of their commercial district.

There are:

76BIDs in NYC

$170.5 Million Invested in NYC Neighborhoods Annually

93,000 Businesses Served

152 Public Spaces Maintained

3.4 Million Trash Bags Collected

What BIDs Do

BIDs create vibrant, clean, and safe districts. They deliver services and improvements above and beyond those typically provided by the City. These services can include:

BID services do not replace those provided by the City. By law, City services cannot be reduced because of the existence of a BID.

BIDs help to brand their districts and market small businesses on their corridor. They facilitate networking among merchants, host community events, and advocate for improvements to the district. BIDs also serve as a liaison between local businesses and stakeholders and the City government. In doing so, BIDs provide a collective voice for the neighborhood and help inform City policy based on their unique local knowledge.

BID Oversight & Management

Each BID is run by a not-for-profit organization with a Board of Directors. Elected by members in the district, the Board must include property owners, merchants, residents, and representatives of local elected office. The Board is in charge of making key decisions about programs and services, budget, goals, policies, and staffing.

BID Funding

BID programs and services are funded by a special assessment billed to property owners within a district. Assessments are unique to each BID and decided upon by the BID’s stakeholders. The City of New York assists with the collection of the special assessment, which in turn, is distributed directly to the BID. The BID receives 100% of the money collected.

On average, assessments make up 75% of BID budgets. Most BIDs also fundraise, apply for grants, and generate revenue from programs to support the services they provide.

Mayor Adams has signed the “Small Business Forward” Executive Order to reform existing business regulations, with the goal of ensuring local businesses face fewer needless fines and penalties.

The Executive Order builds upon Local Law 80 and calls on the Department of Buildings, Department of Environmental Protection, Department of Sanitation, Fire Department, Department of Consumer and Worker Protection, and the Department of Health and Mental Hygiene to review business regulations with the goal of reducing fine schedules and allowing for cure periods or warnings for first-time violations.

Within three months, each Agency will identify the 25 violations that are responsible for the greatest number of summonses and fines issued to small businesses and submit the following:

Recommendations for which violations should be reformed via a) elimination, b) fine schedules scaled back, c) allowance of a First Time Warning, and/or d) allowance for a Cure Period for first-time violations.

If no reform action is recommended for a violation, provide an explanation as to why the status quo should be maintained (e.g. serious health or safety risk)

Identify the necessary actions for reform (e.g. rule-making, City legislation, State legislation, etc.)

All enforcement agencies should immediately review and update their violation tracking systems, inspection procedures and trainings, and the language on their summons tickets in order to ensure that they are prepared to introduce cure periods and first-time warnings for violations in compliance with this EO.

The establishment of an Inter-Agency Working Group – which includes each enforcement agency and to be chaired by a Deputy Mayor for Economic and Workforce Development and the SBS Commissioner – to review Agency submissions and oversee the ensuing business regulatory reform process.