The Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce, which recently took over operations for the North Flatbush Business Improvement District (BID), have their sights on three other possible BIDs they are helping to get off the ground.
BIDs are public/private partnership in which merchants in the designated area pay extra fees to the city and get extra services of their choosing. For example, a BID might put some of this extra collected money to more sanitation, security or holiday lights.
“We are in the process of helping form three BIDS – on 13th Avenue in Dyker Heights, Seventh Avenue in Park Slope and the Court/Smith Street corridor between Atlantic Avenue and the Gowanus Expressway,” said Chamber Senior Vice President Andrew Steininger, adding the goal was to get them up and running not whether they will run their administration for a fee.
While taking over the running of some of the borough’s current 23 BIDS would save each BID some money on economic efficiencies, it could also pose possible conflict of interest issues between the chamber and the independent BIDS. This includes agreeing with some of the political views in which the chamber advocates and possible coercion to get BID members to join the paid Chamber membership.
But Steininger says there is no conflict of interest.
“We don’t push membership. If they (BID merchants) want to join they can, but we don’t in any way shape or form apply pressure,” said Steininger, adding each BID has its own Board of Directors. “If they have different stances on congestion pricing they are fully independent to express them. Our role is purely to do operations.”
