What’s a Business Improvement District?
What is a Business Improvement District (BID)?
A Business Improvement District (BID) is a legally established geographic area, formed when the majority of property owners choose to make a collective contribution toward new programs and services. These contributions fund additive maintenance, improvement, and promotion of the district. BIDs are dedicated to promoting business development, activating public space, and improving an area’s quality of life. No two BIDs are alike. They are uniquely designed to serve their communities.
Today, over 1,200 BIDs exist in municipalities across the U.S. There are over 70 in New York City alone, and they exist throughout upstate and western New York, including in places like Buffalo, Canandaigua, Syracuse, and Geneva. At the intersection of people, place, and economy, BIDs allow for the leveraging of new resources to generate activities and services that strengthen local economies, stimulate vibrancy, and create inclusive and welcoming communities. BIDs across the country provide a wide range of services designed to meet the preferences, needs, and priorities in each individual community. Typically BIDs do this work through several primary activities:
Marketing and promotion of the district
Events and activities that meet the needs of the local community
Reinvigorating public spaces for all Coordination and collaboration between the local community, external partners, and the public sector to address issues and strategically plan for the future
Other programs that meet the needs of the local community (examples could include: outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness or coordination or facilitation of workforce development programs)
Why is this Effort Happening Now?
The City’s ROC the Riverway Phase I Vision Plan strongly recommended a management entity for downtown and its riverfront public spaces. NYS and the City of Rochester, in partnership with the ROC the Riverway management entity working group, enlisted a consultant to conduct a study evaluating organizational structures. Ultimately, the study recommended the formation of a business improvement district.
While the city continues to manage and implement improvements to its parks and public spaces, a BID could generate additive dollars to fund additional upkeep and maintenance, programming, and marketing – on top of what the city already provides. A BID could guarantee consistent levels of services over time while responding directly to the unique needs of downtown. For the first time, there is public and private sector alignment in support of a BID in downtown Rochester. The Rochester Downtown Partnership (RDP) has been formed to produce BID-like programs downtown and oversee this BID formation effort.
BIDs are proven players in urban environments and have helped make some of America's most loved cities even better! A long-term management entity for downtown’s existing public spaces and new ROC the Riverway sites will put Rochester on par with comparable cities across the state and nation, offering local residents and workers exciting and dynamic experiences.
