Presentation to Gothenburg BID Conference ”Levande, trygga platser” April 2, 2019

Barbara Askins President & CEO 125th Street Business Improvement District , USA 74 Business Improvement Districts in

A public / private Typical Services partnership in Enabling which property Maintenance Legislation and business owners elect to permitting Public Safety/Hospitality make a collective property contribution to owners to Business Development the maintenance, define and development and self-fund Marketing promotion of their commercial Legislation Capital Improvements district. provides guidelines for: Landscaping New York City – step creating, by step guide operating and Community Services amending BID LEGISLATION - Canada United States New York Bloor West Village Downtown Development District State New Orleans and 1970 1974 New York

City

1981/82 THE BEGINNING NYC Today 1984 – Union Square NYC 1983 – Washington Heights 74 Business Improvement Districts 1988 – 3rd Avenue Hub – Bronx 1992 – Times Square Representing 85,507 businesses 1993 – 125th Street Employing 1,007,988

BID BENEFITS Forming a BID is hard work

Promote Business Development

Improve Quality of Life

Make Neighborhoods more inviting to businesses and residents

Support economic activity and job creation

Targeted programs and services

Promotes Long Term economic development

Helps entire district

Businesses and residents will see quality of life and economic improvements that comes with it Why a BID on 125th Street?

Problem Primary Reasons for Problem Need for neighborhood to be • Lack of job opportunities viewed as a stable place for • Lack of economic initiatives building businesses and for small businesses establishing long term • Lack of quality goods and residency. services • Quality of Life • Infrastructure Improvements 125th Street Journey to become a BID

Early 1980’s - Merchant Association

Holiday Lights and Promotion Membership Dues

1985 - 125th Street Local Development Corporation Membership Dues, Contributions Clean, Promotion, Holiday Lights and Grants

1993 - 125th Street Business Improvement District Clean, Safe, Business Development, Marketing, Assessments, Grants, Capital Improvement, Beautification, Community Services Contributions Successful Accomplishments as a Local Development Corporation $17 Million Street Construction and Creation of A BID

Street Construction Removal of Trolley Tracks, ** An organization was needed to New Water Mains, New Trees, Decorative maintain the improvements. Creating Sidewalks, Modular Traffic Signals, New Light the Business Improvement District was Fixtures the solution Problems Encountered with Local Development Corp. Model

Funding not Difficult getting City grants adequate contributions phased out

Clean programs Programs start Promotions yield have small and stop little return impact

Administrative Difficult to get Inadequate time greater than City Support amount of staff programmatic time

Disconnect between Community and Business District Target area Database Needs Analysis Area Prove to City

Informal Organizing Steering District Plan Approval Owners Committee Process Meetings District Analysis Services Stakeholders want to Needs analysis Develop Formula Final Formula pay Creating the BID

City Agency Review Vote from Property Owners Public City Council Mayor Signs Approval Hearing Into Law Process Community Board Review City Council Votes Borough Board Review Cultural, Social, and Artistic Explosion Harlem’s Boundaries: 125th Street Between 155th and 110th street, with the Harlem River and Hudson River bordering the area on the east and west.

Local Neighborhood And Education Oriented Population: 110,193 Cultural Core And Retailing Focus Population: 115,723 Local Neighborhood Focus Population: 120,814 1990’s 2000’s 2010’s

• End of crack wars • Harlem Retail • Population shifts • Aggressive policing Renaissance. • Harlem in transition under Mayor Guiliani HARLEM USA – first • Prices on the rise opens • Crime in Harlem • new developments plummeted • Feelings about office and retail make • Pathmark National towers changed. Harlem more Grocery Store Opens • 3.5 million sq. ft of attractive for in commercial space in homebuyers Harlem but not much Class A tenants

• Commercial office

space expanding on 125th Streeet Bill Clinton comes to Harlem – some called him the Ultimate “Gentrifyer” while others welcomed him 1993 2000

1989

2001 2007 2011

2019 125th Street Transforming Southwest corner of W. 125th St and Malcolm X Blvd., Harlem, 1989 © Camilo José Vergara Harlem Housing Stock

The Conversations Affordable Public Housing Conditions

Accelerating shifts Hispanic Pop. Growth White Pop. Growth Black Pop. Decline African Pop. Growth Vacant Housing Stock Dev.

Higher Property Values Rising Rent Tide Luxury Housing

Harlem’s AMI Mitchell Lama Luxury Housing

3 Tier AMI

1993 – The Established BID Our Beginnings

Streetscape - A Hodgepodge of problems Unsafe Street Conditions NYPD Crime Reports Ongoing Conlicts

Protests

Street Vending/Informal Trading 125th Street has become a Successful Business Corridor Press Coverage Tracks Positive Development 125th Street has been known as the main street of the traditional “Capital of Black America”

Third Ingredient 125TH STREET BID PROGRAMS

Clean, Street Promotion, Public Safety and Maintenance and Marketing and Ambassador Beautification Tourism

Property Owner Communication and Retail Events and Membership Services Engagement

Capital Strategic Advocacy Improvements Planning

A COMMUNITY EVENT Pedestrian Footfall Development Maps Vacancy Reports

125th Street BID 19th Among NYC’s BIDs in Assessment Dollars

• 100 properties – 12 total exempt properties – 9 buildings mixed use with residential – 79 buildings are 100% taxable properties

• 840 businesses

Sidewalk and Street Maintenance Markedly Improved Investments in the Arts from Upper Empowerment Zone Business Investment Loans from Upper Manhattan Empowerment Zone

Changes in the composition and success of retail over time

Making 125th Street Sticky and Defining what Sticky Means

Our Challenges Today