help make an even better downtown staten island

A group of property and business owners – your neighbors and friends -- have come together as a Steering Committee to help establish a business improvement district (BID) in the neighborhood.

Public Information Sessions:

Tuesday, April 18, 2023
11AM
Flagship Brewery
40 Minthorne St., Staten Island, NY 10301

Wednesday, May 3, 2023
5:30PM
Edgewater Hall
691 Bay St., Staten Island, NY 10304

WHAT IS A BID?

• A BID is a partnership where property owners within a set of boundaries pay an annual assessment that is used to provide special services in the district.

• Once formed, BIDs are 501(c)3 non-profit entities, managed by a board of directors composed of commercial property owners, commercial tenants, residents and local elected officials within the district.

• The core services of BIDs are generally sanitation, public safety, marketing, and beautification, but local stakeholders ultimately determine the specific needs and programs of the district.

• The services provided are things the City does not provide – things like street sweeping and holiday lights.

• The BID acts as a steward of the neighborhood, providing those services and working as an advocate – presenting a unified voice on behalf of its members to address quality of life issues with an array of City agencies.

DOWNTOWN STATEN ISLAND BID PROPOSED BOUNDARIES

The proposed BID generally covers the commercial corridor along Bay Street from just south of Broad Street to just north of the Staten Island Ferry terminal.  This map highlights the exact properties included.

WHY HERE?  WHY NOW?

In 2017, the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce received grant funding from the City to provide services to help revitalize the commercial strip on Bay Street in St. George, Tompkinsville, and Stapleton.

Since then, the Chamber has provided services like weekday sidewalk sweeping, landscaping and tree bed improvements, holiday lights, decorative pole banners, and a marketing campaign featuring a new “Downtown Staten Island” logo.

But the funding from the City will run out, which is why the Chamber is helping the Steering Committee work to form a BID in Downtown Staten Island – to maintain and enhance all the critical services and work.

BLOCKS WITHIN THE BID BOUNDARIES

• Bay St. from #701 (Just south of Broad St.) to the Ferry Terminal

• Canal St. bet. Bay St. & Wright St.

• Water St. bet. Bay St. & Canal St.

• Prospect St. bet. Bay St. & Front St.

• Minthorne St.

• Victory Blvd. bet. Bay St. & St. Marks Pl.

• Hyatt St.

• Stuyvesant Pl. bet. Bay St. & Wall St. 

• Schuyler St. bet. Stuyvesant Pl. & Richmond Terr.

• Richmond Terr. bet. Bay St. & Wall St. (west side of street only)

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Q:  Why create a BID instead of a Merchant Association or other entity?

A:  Merchant Associations and other such organizations are voluntary and allow some to opt out – thereby increasing the burden on those who participate to provide services for all.  Over the years, several attempts have been made to establish merchant organizations to address challenges facing the area. None have lasted because all of the work and expense lands on the shoulders of a small group of volunteers. There is never reliable funding or capacity to make sustainable change. A BID, once established, provides a reliable stream of income that allows for dependable services.

Q:  Who funds the BID?

A: Commercial property owners pay into the BID using a formula determined by the area’s stakeholders.  Each BID’s assessment formula is unique and, after in-depth review, the Steering Committee has determined that an assessment formula based on linear foot frontage of each property will be fair and equitable.  

Q:  How much is the assessment?

A: The Committee has developed a formula to calculate the annual assessment for each commercial property in the district based on the amount of serviced linear front footage (approximately $33.52 per individual property linear front foot). If a corner lot has two frontages that are serviced by the BID, only the longest of the two will be assessed. Retail, commercial, parking lots, and vacant lots are all assessed at the commercial rate. Residential properties are assessed $1 annually and non-profit and public-owned properties are exempt.

Q:  Can part or all of the assessment be passed through to a commercial tenant?

A: Some standard leases contain provisions that allow for all or part of any assessments to be passed through.  You should look at the terms of the individual lease to see what applies.

Q:  How exactly are the assessment funds collected?

A:  Each year, the NYC Department of Small Business Services submits the BID charges to the NYC Department of Finance.  Property tax bills for commercial properties within the district will include a separate line item for the assessment amount that is due.  Although it is billed on the property tax bill, it is not an additional tax.  It is simply billed this way for convenience.

Q:  Once the City collects it, how much of the assessment goes back to the BID?

A:  Every penny – 100% of the assessment -- goes to the BID, to be used for programs and services in the district. If budgeted funds are not used up from one year to the next, they may roll over.

Q:  Does the City already provide these services?  Will we see a loss of City services if a BID is formed?

A:  No. The City does not provide street sweeping or the other supplemental services provided by BIDs.  By law, City services cannot be reduced because of the existence of a BID.  In fact, the opposite can be true, as BIDs advocate for the commercial corridors they represent. 

Q:  How is the Staten Island Chamber of Commerce involved?

A:  The Staten Island Chamber is coordinating the BID formation effort.  However, a BID, once formed, would be a separate organization from the Chamber with an autonomous board of directors.

Q:  How is the BID formation related to the Bay Street rezoning?

A:  The BID formation effort is completely independent of the Bay Street rezoning.