NEWYORK: New York City Mayor Eric Adams signed legislation to create the East Harlem 125th Street Business Improvement District (BID), giving East Harlem a dynamic new organization to advocate for and coordinate among its businesses and community organizations.
The new BID — which community leaders have supported for roughly a decade and currently includes over 85 commercial tenants — will also support sanitation and beautification efforts.
According to the New York City Small Business Services’ (SBS) most recent BID Trends Report, in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 alone, BIDs invested more than $207 million into neighborhoods across the city, supported more than 300 miles of commercial corridors, and boosted nearly 25,000 storefronts.
The announcement — which brings the total number of BIDs supporting New York City to 77 — delivers, once again, on a key commitment in Mayor Adams’ “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: Blueprint for New York city’s economic recovery” to support the creation of new BIDs across the city and invest in neighborhood development directly.
Mayor Adams and SBS Commissioner Dynishal Gross today also announced that the city will award $4.4 million in new grants to community organizations in Harlem, as well as other neighborhoods, to support small businesses, improve the public realm, and boost non-profits.
“From its parks and playgrounds to its storefronts and small businesses, East Harlem is a place of rich history, extraordinary culture, and incredible food. Families, businesses, and residents deserve an East Harlem that is safe, clean, and thriving — and that is what this BID is all about,” said Mayor Adams. “But we’re not only bolstering businesses here in East Harlem; we’re doing it all across our city. We cut red tape, invested in working people, and helped shatter the record for the most jobs and small businesses in city history. We’re focused everyday on creating good-paying jobs and making sure that East Harlem and all of New York City is the best place to raise a family.”
“I am thrilled to welcome the East Harlem Business Improvement District into New York City’s family of BIDs,” said SBS Commissioner Gross.
“Through place-based expertise, stable funding, and strong governance, business improvement districts improve the appearance and functioning of commercial districts, ensuring that they are vibrant places where commerce and community can thrive. SBS is proud to have supported the steering committee in forming the East Harlem BID and will cheer every success it has as the newest member of New York City’s unmatched BID community.”
Intro. 1219 — sponsored by New York City Councilmember Diana Ayala — would amend the city’s administrative code to establish the East Harlem 125th Street BID. The establishment of the East Harlem 125th Street BID is the culmination of nearly a decade of partnership between the BID’s steering committee, SBS, and Uptown Grand Central, a 501c3 nonprofit that advocates for the community. The process for creating the new BID began in 2016 with a Commercial District Needs Assessment (CDNA), a comprehensive, community-driven study that identified key opportunities for economic growth and outlined a set of recommendations, The new BID will both advocate for the neighborhood and deliver on the recommendations of the CDNA by providing supplemental sanitation and beautification services to the neighborhood.
