DOWNTOWN FLUSHING QUEENS Commercial District Needs Assessment
in partnership Downtown Flushing Transit Hub BID with Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce ABOUT DOWNTOWN FLUSHING Background
Downtown Flushing is a one-of-a-kind destination where residents and visitors alike can experience an international blend of cultures, cuisines, and shops within a bustling central business district. Situated off the Flushing Creek in northeast Queens, Downtown Flushing’s location gives it several competitive advantages that have fueled its rapid The Neighborhood 360° growth as a commercial hub. The district is served by the Downtown Flushing Transit program was created by the NYC Hub Business Improvement District (BID) and is made accessible by several modes of Department of Small Business transportation including the 7 subway line, the Long Island Rail Road, NYC Select Bus Services to identify, develop, and launch commercial revitalization Service, and the Whitestone, Van Wyck, and Long Island Expressways. projects in partnership with local stakeholders. Through Once a rural Dutch farming settlement, modern day Downtown Flushing is an active, 24/7 proactive planning and targeted district. The neighborhood consists of a mix of mid-rise and new high-rise buildings that investments, Neighborhood 360° supports projects that strengthen house a rich variety of Asian restaurants, professional services, offices, apartments, and and revitalize the streets, small light industrial uses. The volume of pedestrians, vehicles, and businesses contributes to businesses, and community- a crowded network of streets and sidewalks that are trademark characteristics of the based organizations that anchor New York City neighborhoods. neighborhood.
The Neighborhood 360° Commercial District Needs On any given trip to Downtown Flushing, visitors can conveniently shop, dine, and access Assessment (CDNA) highlights professional services from unique businesses and entrepreneurs from around the world. a neighborhood’s existing Main Street and Roosevelt Avenue form the district’s commercial crossroads, with a dense business landscape and and eclectic mix of Chinese small businesses, national retailers, and financial institutions. consumer characteristics. This CDNA features Main Street, Closer to Flushing Creek, College Point Boulevard is characterized by home furnishing Roosevelt Avenue, Northern wholesalers and warehouses despite the recent introduction of new mixed-use shopping Boulevard, Union Street, 39th centers. Union Street is ever-evolving and has traditionally been identified as a center of Avenue, and College Point Boulevard commercial corridors the Korean American community in Queens which has extended eastward over time along in Downtown Flushing, and was Northern Boulevard. These streets are also home to many of the neighborhood’s historical, conducted in partnership with the entertainment, and cultural venues like the Quaker Meeting House, the Flushing Armory, Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Flushing Town Hall, and the former RKO Keith’s Theater. Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District between January and June 2016. Neighborhood Demographics See more on page 13 Key issues and opportunities identified through this assessment will help prioritize SBS-supported local Greater Flushing is a densely inhabited neighborhood with a diverse and growing investments, and serve as an population of more than 68,000 residents that reflects its cosmopolitan mix of merchants, informational and marketing businesses, and cultural attractions. While historically home to a wide array of immigrant resource for the neighborhood. communities, the neighborhood is currently comprised of 67% Asian residents. The Chinese and Korean communities represent approximately 70% and 12% of the Asian population respectively. Flushing remains a popular destination for many Asian immigrant families, making the neighborhood’s foreign population (71%) one of the highest in In This Report New York City. Existing conditions, business data, and qualitative depictions of the neighborhood were gathered See more on page 5 from more than 315 surveys Future Opportunities and numerous interviews and workshops with neighborhood With the outside of Manhattan, Downtown Flushing is already a merchants, shoppers, workers,4–5 heaviest foot traffic community leaders, property 6 regional destination with 20+ public transportation options, and multicultural dining owners, and residents. 7–10 and services. Its proximity to the USTA Billie Jean King National Tennis Center, Jump to... 11 Citi Field, Flushing Meadows Corona Park, and both LaGuardia and JFK International 12 Airports make Downtown Flushing a renowned center of entertainment and commerce. Key Findings 4-5 13 Business Inventory 6 Signs of ongoing development and the subsequent congestion and competition 14 What Merchants Say 7-8 associated with rapid growth are visible across the district. Dedicated support of the Business Outlook 9 needs of Downtown Flushing’s burgeoning small business community can help harness What Shoppers Say 10 this momentum and improve the overall quality of life of the neighborhood. Physical Environment 11 Data Appendix 12-15
2 Neighborhood 360° Commercial District Needs Assessment NEIGHBORHOOD CONTEXT Downtown Flushing
10 minutes by car to LaGuardia International Airport Notable Places
FARRINGTON ST 146 ST Leavitts 1 Park
PARSONS BLVD
35 AV
Flushing Creek
Flushing Public Library WHITESTONE EXPY
PRINCE ST PRINCE 2 Flushing Town Hall
UNION ST 2 LVD NORTHERN B 38 AV MAIN ST
37 AV 5 Macedonia AME Church
34 AV
St. George’s Flushing Town Hall Y P 6
X Episcopal Church BOWNE ST
E COLLEGE POINT BLVD ROOSEVELT AV
K
C 39 AV 4 New World Mall BARCLAY AV 3 Y
W
N
A SANFORD AV V 7 1 Flushing Public Library The Shops 3 41 AV Workforce1 Career Center at SkyView ad The Shops at SkyView Center Center o 41 RD l R ai R nd KISSENA BLVD la Is 4 ng Lo FRANKLIN AV 45 AV
5 minutes by subway to Citi Field, USTA National Tennis Center, 0 0.125 0.25 Miles & Flushing Meadows Corona Park New World Mall
Points of Interest Merchant & Business Groups 5 Assessed Commercial Corridors Shopping Centers Asian Americans for Equality Public Facilities Arts & Cultural Destinations (AAFE) Business Improvement District (BID) Downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement Macedonia AME Church Neighborhood Events District (BID)
Flushing Chinese Business 6 Association Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation Greater Flushing Flushing Lunar New Year Parade Flushing Night Out St. George’s Church Chamber of Commerce Renaissance Economic Development Corporation Union Street Business Association
Holiday Lighting Ceremony 40th Road Street Festival
Downtown Flushing 3 KEY FINDINGS & OPPORTUNITIES Strengths Accessible transportation hub that attracts visitors from all Dedicated community-based organizations delivering over NYC, the region, and the world high quality maintenance, marketing, events, and business support district-wide High concentration of national commercial banks and other financial institutions Active upper floor uses with a wealth of healthcare and professional services that complement local shops and Cluster of arts and cultural institutions that are active in restaurants the community Nearly 100% commercial storefront occupancy rate Premier destination for authentic Asian cuisines and goods Safe, 24/7 central business district with high foot traffic Rich history of multicultural diversity and religious tolerance throughout the day and night tracing back to the Flushing Remonstrance of 1657 Challenges Overextended infrastructure needs upgrades to better Limited affordable commercial spaces due to high support the growing central business district occupancy rates High volume of street garbage and litter requires Small businesses face competition from national retail additional maintenance chains Perception of limited affordable parking options High levels of pedestrian and vehicular traffic congestion coupled with limited open space amplify quality of life Merchants experience language and cultural barriers to concerns (air quality, noise pollution) accessing business support programs and navigating government regulations
Main Street & Roosevelt Avenue College Point Boulevard
Union Street 39th Avenue Storefronts
4 Neighborhood 360° Commercial District Needs Assessment Workforce1 Career Center at the Flushing Public Library Flushing Freedom Mile Signage on Northern Boulevard
Mural at the Flushing LIRR Station Flushing Street Festival / Block Party
Opportunities Reactivate the kiosk in front of the Flushing Public Support business growth and consumer safety by Library to provide enhanced district wayfinding and connecting local businesses and entrepreneurs to visitor services available services that are accessible in different languages and entry points Establish a formal Flushing tourism program that leverages the district’s entertainment venues, hotels, Build upon local marketing campaigns and events that restaurants, transit, and other key assets promote the unique merchants and vibrant character of the district Invest in additional sanitation and streetscape beautification services to actively address illegal Expand the services and capacity of the Downtown garbage disposal, graffiti, litter, and sidewalk oil stains Flushing Transit Hub BID and other community-based organizations Repurpose underutilized public and private spaces through arts and cultural programming
What’s Next? To address these key findings and opportunities, Neighborhood 360° Grants will be made available by SBS to non-profit organizations. For more information, visit: nyc.gov/neighborhood360
Downtown Flushing 5 BUSINESS LANDSCAPE: DOWNTOWN FLUSHING Business Inventory 371 1.1% Total Number of Storefronts Storefront Vacancy*
*Note: In 2015, New York City’s 69 Business Improvement Districts reported an average ground floor Storefront & Retail Mix vacancy rate of 8.3% and median ground floor vacancy rate of 5.6% (SBS BIDs Trends Report, 2015).
Restaurants & Bars 44 Clothing & Shoes Stores 33 Snack & Non-Alcoholic Beverage Shops 27 Professional Business Services 24 Pharmacies & Health Stores 22 Home Furnishings & Merchant Wholesalers 22 General Merchandise Stores 21 Downtown Flushing is a bustling central business Hair, Nail, & Beauty Salons 21 district that attracts Other Wholesalers 19 merchants, workers, and shoppers from NYC and Other Stores & Services 19 beyond. While known for its authentic Asian dining, Commercial Banks 18 Flushing is also a center of Electronics & Appliance Stores 14 professional services and home to 60+ commercial Jewelry Stores 13 banks district-wide. Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers 13 Cosmetics Stores 12 Business inventory and retail mix data were gathered by the Furniture Stores 10 Downtown Flushing BID and Hotels 7 Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce through a Supermarkets & Liquor Stores 6 comprehensive inventory of Nonprofit & Civic Organizations 5 ground floor and street-facing storefronts located along Main Delis / Bodegas & Convenience Stores 4 Street, Roosevelt Avenue, Department Stores Northern Boulevard, Union 4 Street, 39th Avenue, and College Religious Organizations & Houses of Worship 4 Point Boulevard, excluding colocated, basement, and/or Vacant 4 above ground-floor businesses Automotive Rental & Gas Stations 3 (January–June 2016). Educational Services & Public Administration 2
Union Street Supermarkets on Main Street Roosevelt Avenue
6 Neighborhood 360° Commercial District Needs Assessment What We’ve Heard from Downtown Flushing Merchants
How many years have you been in How many employees do you have? business here?
Many Flushing “mom & pop” businesses relocate to different storefronts within the district as new shopping centers and spaces become available. While some businesses report to have been in their current location for a year or less, they may have been operating in Flushing for much longer.
Full-Time Part-Time 28% 26% 17% 14% Businesses Businesses 9% 6% Years in Business at this Location Total Employees
Do you own or rent your property? What are the biggest challenges facing your
business? % Merchant Responses 85% 3% 12% Commercial rent / lease 14% Rent Own No response Lack of parking / transit 12% Traffic & pedestrian congestion 8% Labor costs 8% Marketing / advertising costs 8%
Over the past year, has your business What kinds of resources would help improved, stayed the same, or decreased? you grow your business? % Merchant Responses Marketing support 33% 30% 27% 21% 22% Space improvements 22% Improved Stayed the Decreased N/A or Same No Responsese Financing 12% Training for staff 12% New equipment 11% Legal/lease support 6% Assistance with regulatory compliance 4%
Source: Based on 215 merchant surveys conducted by the Downtown Flushing BID and Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce in Winter - Spring 2016. Downtown Flushing 7 BUSINESS LANDSCAPE: DOWNTOWN FLUSHING What We’ve Heard from Downtown Flushing Merchants
What can we change to improve Flushing?
Parking 24% More open space 5%
Sanitation 20% Storefront improvements 4%
Transit improvements 15% More community events 4%
Safety 14% Other 2%
Better streetscape 11%
What languages do you speak? Vietnamese 1% Fujianese 2% Spanish 2% English 36% Cantonese 7%
Mandarin 40% Korean 9% Taiwanese 1% Shanghainese 1% Whenzhounese 1%
Where are your clients / shoppers from?
53% 27% 20%
Local Queens Outside of Queens
8 Neighborhood 360° Commercial District Needs Assessment BUSINESS OUTLOOK Downtown Flushing Retail Opportunity
Residents spend Local businesses make Every year, visitors spend
$1.27B $1.34B $74.7M each year in each year in in the goods and services retail sales neighborhood
Retail Leakage & Surplus Surplus $0 Leakage
Gasoline Stations $40.2M
Electronics & Appliance Stores $17.9M
Sporting Goods, Hobby, & Musical Instrument Stores $17.4M
Clothing Stores $12.0M
Beer, Wine, & Liquor Stores $8.1M
Other Miscellaneous Store Retailers $6.4M
Shoe Stores $5.5M
Lawn / Garden Equipment & Supply Stores $4.4M
Office Supplies, Stationery, & Gift Stores $3.8M
Special Food Services $3.2M
Department Stores (E cluding Leased Departments) $2.6M
Auto Parts, Accessories, & Tire Stores $2.6M
Florists $1.5M Retail leakage and surplus is the Specialty Food Stores $610,000 difference between estimated spending by local residents $360,000 Drinking Places (Alcoholic Beverages) on retail goods and estimated Jewelry, Luggage, & Leather Goods Stores $2.5M sales by local retail businesses. Retail leakage occurs when Used Merchandise Stores $3.6M consumer demand exceeds $4.5M retail supply in a designated Book, Periodical, & Music Stores trade area. On the chart, a Limited-Service Eating Places $6.3M positive value indicates leakage of retail sales and represents net Home Furnishings Stores $8.9M consumer spending that is being $13.3M captured by retailers outside of Furniture Stores the trade area. Retail surplus Other General Merchandise Stores $18.3M occurs when retail supply exceeds consumer demand in Grocery Stores $27.8M a designated trade area. On the chart, a negative value indicates Building Material & Supplies Dealers $54.9M a surplus of retail sales and may Health & Personal Care Stores $64.9M signify a market where retailers are drawing customers from Full-Service Restaurants $68.6M outside the trade area.
Source: ESRI and Infogroup, August 2016. Downtown Flushing 9 BUSINESS OUTLOOK Business Trends
Change in Total Business Sales, 2008-2015 Change in Median Sales by Business, 2008-2015
Downtown Flushing Queens NYC Downtown Flushing Queens NYC
19% 38% 29% 73% 141% 105%
Downtown Flushing Total Business Sales Downtown Flushing Median Sales by Business
$46,565 $45,438
$38,018 $404,008,157 $31,562 $32,734 $386,838,644 $376,380,073 $372,296,703 $347,394,312 $28,642 $344.946,497 $330,712,890 $338,804,544 $26,842 $26,999 Sales Volume Sales Volume
Year Year
Source: Division of Tax Policy, NYC Department of Finance. What We’ve Heard from Shoppers What additional businesses would you like to How would you rate the cleanliness of see in Flushing? Downtown Flushing?
Healthy food options Very clean 1% Theater, music, or entertainment venues Somewhat clean 18% Art galleries Not very clean 43% Book stores Not clean at all 38% Gyms
How do you usually travel to get to Flushing? How often do you visit Flushing?
Car 39% Daily 15% Bus 21% 2 to 4 times a week 25% Walk 18% Once a week 18% Subway 17% Twice a month 11% Bike 4% Once a month 11% Long Island Rail Road 1% Not regularly 0% Taxi 0%
Source: Based on 100 consumer surveys conducted by the Downtown Flushing BID and Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce in Winter - Spring 2016. 10 Neighborhood 360° Commercial District Needs Assessment PHYSICAL ENVIRONMENT Commercial Density Shopping Centers
35 AV
UNION ST Margaret I. Carmen Green
NORTHERN BLVD BOWNE ST One Fulton Square
37 AV
Flushing Commons
MAIN ST Queens Crossing
COLLEGE POINT BLVD Two Fulton Square
39 AV ROOSEVELT AV One Fulton 7 New World Square Mall Flushing Creek Golden Shopping Mall New York Food Court
Bowne KISSENA BLVD Bland Playground Playground
41 AV The Shops Golden SANFORD AV at SkyView Shopping Mall Center 41 RD
d Queens Crossing oa l R ai R nd la Is ng Lo
0 0.1 0.2 Miles
< 2 Floors Multi-Level Shopping Centers 2 - 7 Floors Current & Planned Developments New York Food Court 7+ Floors
Streetscape Observations
Storefront conditions vary from store to Traffic markers are worn down and store. New businesses generally have require new paint and renovation. better quality signage. Graffiti is frequently seen tagged on
Illegal disposal of residential and construction sites and storefront gates. Sidewalk Garbage commercial garbage coupled with high Existing street furniture is not volumes of pedestrians cause litter to well-maintained and adds to the pile up on nearly every street. unsightliness of certain sidewalks. Many broken curbs due to heavy pedestrian traffic and truck loading.
Graffiti
Downtown Flushing 11 DATA APPENDIX Study Area Boundaries Area Demographics
Assessed Commercial Downtown Flushing Trade Area Total Population Corridors Context Area Retail opportunity, leakage, 68,902 Downtown Flushing Primary data on Downtown Demographic and employment and surplus data on pg. 9 Flushing storefront businesses data on pg. 12-13 correspond to the corresponds to the 0.75 mile 2,256,400 Queens presented on pg. 6-8 was Downtown Flushing neighborhood trade area. gathered along Main Street, context area. 8,268,999 New York City Roosevelt Avenue, Northern Boulevard, Union Street, 39th Avenue, and College Point Population Density (per square mile) Boulevard commercial corridors. 50,663 Downtown Flushing
20,701 Queens 27,027 New York City
College Average Household Size Point 2.6 Downtown Flushing
Y P X UNION ST 2.9 Queens E E N TO S E 2.6 New York City IT Murray H W Hill
Leavitts Commuting Patterns Park
Flushing
PARSONS BLVD D UNION ST Bay BLV NORTHERN MAIN ST 21,557 2,561 18,762 COLLEGE POINT BLVD Work Live Willets ROOSEVELT AV Point 39 AV
Flushing Creek
KISSENA BLVD Citi Field 21,557 Work in Downtown Flushing , live elsewhere
45 AV Live & Work in Downtown COLDEN ST 2,561 Queens Flushing Botanical USTA Billie Jean King Garden National Tennis Center 18,762 Live in Downtown Flushing, Flushing work elsewhere Meadows Corona Park Kissena Park Car Ownership 43% Downtown Flushing
0 0.125 0.25 Miles 63% Queens 45% New York City
12 Neighborhood 360° Commercial District Needs Assessment DATA APPENDIX Area Demographics
Race / Background Downtown Flushing QN NYC Educational Attainment Downtown Flushing QN NYC
Hispanic or Latino 16% 28% 29% 12th Grade or Less, 25% 20% 20% (of any race) No Diploma White alone 9% 27% 33% High School Graduate 28% 27% 25% Black or African 4% 18% 23% Some College, No Degree 10% 15% 15% American alone Associate’s Degree 10% 8% 6% Asian alone 67% 24% 13% Bachelor’s Degree 19% 19% 20% Native Hawaiian and 0% 0% 0% Other Pacific Islander Graduate or 8% 11% 14% Professional Degree American Indian and 1% 0% 0% Alaska Native alone
Some other race alone 1% 2% 1% Two or more races 2% 2% 1%
Population Age Downtown Flushing QN NYC Median Age Foreign-Born Population
Under 5 Years 4% 6% 7% 43.3 Downtown Flushing 71% Downtown Flushing 5–14 Years 8% 11% 11% 37.4 Queens 48% Queens 15–24 Years 11% 13% 14% 35.6 New York City 37% New York City 25–44 Years 29% 30% 31% 45–64 Years 31% 26% 25% 65+ Years 17% 13% 12% Income Employment Median Household Income Pop. Below Poverty Line Population in Labor Force Unemployment Rate
$39,565 Downtown Flushing 23% Downtown Flushing 59% Downtown Flushing 8.9% Downtown Flushing $57,001 Queens 15% Queens 65% Queens 9.9% Queens $52,259 New York City 20% New York City 63% New York City 10.6% New York City
*Note: The unemployment rate for Queens is at 4.4% and New York City is at 5.1%, as of June 2016 (NYSDOL); updated neighborhood-level data for Downtown Flushing is not available. Local Jobs and Employment Local Residents’ Employment Jobs Located in Downtown Flushing
Educational Services, Health Care, 19% Educational Services, Health Care, 32% Social Assistance Social Assistance Accommodation, Food Services, 16% Retail Trade 18% Arts, Entertainment Accommodation, Food Services, 11% Other Services 15% Arts, Entertainment Retail Trade 11% Other Services 10% Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services 10% Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 8% Finance, Insurance, Real Estate 7% Information 7% Transportation, Warehousing, Utilities 7% Professional, Scientific, & Technical Services 6% Construction 6% Construction 3% Manufacturing 5% Manufacturing 3% Public Administration 3% Transportation, Warehousing, Utilities 1% Information 2% Public Administration 0.2%
Sources: US Census Bureau, 2009-2013 American Community Survey and 2014 OntheMap Application. Downtown Flushing 13 DATA APPENDIX Downtown Flushing Transportation
Downtown Flushing Transportation Bus Routes
Bus Routes NYC Subway Bicycle Lanes Long Island Rail Road 20 MTA Bus Routes 1 Select Bus Service (SBS) Route Q44
138 ST QM 32 AV 20 PARSONS BLVD Express Bus Route QM3 31 AV QM 1 2 31 RD
FARRINGTON ST UNION ST
146 ST Leavitts Park 25
Q Average Weekday
34 44 SBS
50 20B Subway Ridership (2015) 35 AV
20A 65 16 QM Flushing Main Street station 13 28 3 60,226 7 Flushing WHITESTONE EXPY
Bay PRINCE ST PRINCE
QM BOWNE ST NORTHERN BLVD UNION ST 19 66 3 38 AV 28 Annual MTA Bus Ridership (2015) 13 16
MAIN ST COLLEGE POINT BLVD Q58 37 AV 15A 9.6M 34 AV N 15 127 ST 26 20G 147 ST ROOSEVELT12 15 AV Q44 12 8.9M 39 AV BARCLAY AV 48 PARSONS BLVD 7.6M Q27 126 ST 7 SANFORD AV Citi 41 AV 58 65 5.5M Q17 20A Field d WILLETS PT BLVD a 17 Ro 20B 25 il 41 RD a 44 27 Q Q20 R SBS 4.2M d 34 an sl g I ! on L FRANKLIN AV CHERRY AV VAN WYCK EXPY Pedestrian Counts 45 AV KISSENA BLVD Flushing ELDER AV Weekday Morning (7-9 a.m.) Meadows FOWLER AV Corona Park DAHLIA AV COLDEN ST Queens Main Street between 37th Avenue Botanical 3,485 USTA Billie Jean King Garden and 38th Avenue National Tennis Center 2,005 Prince Street between 37th Avenue
136 ST and 38th Avenue 138 ST 56 AV 57 AV BOOTH MEMORIAL AV 57 RD 0 0.125 0.25 Miles 330 Roosevelt Avenue between Main Street and Union Street
Vehicular Traffic 48,757 Average daily vehicles on Northern Boulevard between College Point Boulevard and Parsons Boulevard (2014)
25,373 Average daily vehicles on Main Street between Roosevelt Avenue and Dahlia Avenue (2014)
22,882 Average daily vehicles on College Point Boulevard between Roosevelt Avenue and Fowler Avenue (2014)
14 Neighborhood 360° Commercial District Needs Assessment Recent SBS Investments in the Neighborhood
Neighborhood 360° Fellowship Host Organization, awarded to the Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce, 2016.
BID Expansion Planning & Outreach, Avenue NYC merchant organizing grant of $20,000 awarded to Downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District, 2015.
The Destination of Choice Food/Cuisine Marketing Campaign, Avenue NYC placemaking grant of $25,000 awarded to Downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District, 2012.
Existing Plans & Studies
Flushing 2050 Community Building Initiative, Asian Americans For Equality, 2016 (in progress). Flushing Waterfront Brownfield Opportunity Area (BOA) Study, Flushing Willets Point Corona Local Development Corporation and NYC Department of City Planning (in progress). Flushing’s Economy: Challenges and Opportunities, Asian Americans For Equality, 2013. An Economic Snapshot of Flushing, Queens, New York State Comptroller, 2011. Economic Development and the Economy of Flushing, Queens, NYS Comptroller, 2006. Development Framework for Downtown Flushing, NYC Economic Development Corporation and NYC Department of City Planning, 2004. Downtown Flushing Rezoning and Waterfront Access Plan, NYC Department of City Planning, 1998. Sources
ESRI and Infogroup, Inc. August 2016 ESRI Retail MarketPlace Profile. Infogroup, Inc. 2016. From ReferenceUSA database. Metropolitan Transportation Authority. 2015. Average Weekday Subway Ridership and Annual Bus Ridership. NYS Department of Labor. June 2016. Unemployment Rate Rankings by County. NYS Department of Transportation. 2014 Annual Average Daily Traffic, using Traffic Data Viewer. NYC Department of Finance, Division of Tax Policy, using data from NYS Department of Taxation and Finance. Business sales are reported by tax year, which runs from March 1st to February 28th. Sales data are compiled from sales tax returns, which are rolled up by tax filer within a year, excluding returns with negative sales amounts. For each year, each tax filer is reported according to the address listed on their latest return. Large outliers were removed. NYC Department of Small Business Services. Fiscal Year 2015. Business Improvement Districts Trends Report. NYC Department of Transportation. May 2016. Bi-Annual Pedestrian Counts. U.S. Census Bureau. 2014. OnTheMap Application. Longitudinal-Employer Household Dynamics Program (LEHD). Commuting Pattern data is representative of LEHD Origin-Destination Employment Statistics for the second quarter of 2014. LEHD data is based on different administrative sources, primarily Unemployment Insurance (UI) earnings data and the Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages (QCEW), and other censuses/surveys. In this context, only the highest paying job that is held over two consecutive quarters by an individual worker is counted toward worker flows into, out of, and within the context area. U.S. Census Bureau. American Community Survey, 2013 American Community Survey 4-Year Estimates, using NYC Census FactFinder. Flushing Neighborhood Tabulation Area. Photo Credits: © Downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District; Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce; Ed Reed for the Office of Mayor Bill de Blasio; NYC & Company: Will Steacy; Ed / CC BY; Nick Normal / CC BY; NYC SBS: Andrew Marcus.
Downtown Flushing 15 The NYC Department of Small Business Services helps unlock ABOUT SBS economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building a fairer economy in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.
We would like to recognize and thank the following individuals and ACKNOWLEDGMENTS organizations for their contributions to the development of the Downtown Flushing Commercial District Needs Assessment:
Queens Borough President Melinda Katz NYC Council Member Peter Koo Queens Community Board 7 Downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District (BID) Greater Flushing Chamber of Commerce Asian Americans for Equality (AAFE) Flushing Town Hall Renaissance Economic Development Corporation Queens Borough Public Library Flushing Chinese Business Association Union Street Business Association Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) Downtown Flushing Merchants Downtown Flushing Shoppers and Residents nyc.gov/neighborhood360