City Awarding Grants To Community Organizations For Neighborhood Development Projects That Support Small Biz Corridors

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FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Wednesday, April 12, 2017

Contact: Nick Benson, SBS Press Secretary - nbenson@sbs.nyc.gov, 212-618-6778

CITY AWARDING GRANTS TO COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS FOR NEIGHBORHOOD DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS THAT SUPPORT SMALL BUSINESS CORRIDORS IN EVERY BOROUGH

City’s Avenue NYC Initiative Is Funding 34 Unique Projects To Boost Underserved Neighborhoods

New York – NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS) Commissioner Gregg Bishop today announced over $1 million in grant awards to fund 34 unique neighborhood development projects across the city. The Avenue NYC initiative is awarding funding that will help support vibrant commercial corridors in underserved neighborhoods. Grants will be used to strengthen and preserve their neighborhoods through tailored projects that include business attraction/retention, façade improvements, merchant organizing, and placemaking.

“The Avenue NYC initiative is investing in local, community-based organizations to help strengthen and preserve small business corridors across our city,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the NYC Department of Small Business Services. “Small businesses are an essential part of building vibrant neighborhoods, and the grants we are awarding today will help meet tailored, local needs.”

The following community-based organizations were selected to receive grant awards to undertake projects in their neighborhoods:

Bronx

HUB Third Avenue Business Improvement District – Organize merchants along 3rd Avenue in the South Bronx to promote the full development of the corridor

Jerome Gun Hill Business Improvement District - Execute a comprehensive marketing campaign to attract new businesses and investment on East Gun Hill Road to capture the unmet needs of local residents

Kingsbridge Riverdale Van Cortlandt Development Corporation – Organize merchants and build the leadership capacity of the Marble Hill Merchants Association

Morris Heights Health Center – Coordinate a healthy foods campaign to promote the diverse array of restaurants and cultural activities along Burnside Avenue

Mosholu Preservation Corporation – Recruit members and organize meetings to revitalize existing merchants associations along Webster and Bainbridge Avenues in Norwood

Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corporation – Develop data-driven marketing collateral and organize seasonal events to encourage local residents to explore and shop in Castle Hill

South Bronx Overall Development Corporation (SOBRO) – Organize and provide technical assistance to merchants on 138th Street in Mott Haven

Westchester Square Business Improvement District – Host events to strengthen the connection between businesses and residents by highlighting the historic sites and merchants within the district

Brooklyn

Bridge Street Development Corporation – Organize art focused marketing initiatives to promote Bedford-Stuyvesant’s secondary commercial corridors as premier shopping destinations

Brooklyn Alliance – Organize merchants along Broadway in Bushwick and provide marketing support for scheduled events highlighting Sunset Park’s 8th Avenue commercial corridor

Central Fulton Business Improvement District (FAB Alliance) – Activate Clinton Hill and Fort Greene public spaces and plazas by hosting promotional events and distributing business guides to attract residents to Fulton Street

Flatbush Development Corporation – Host family-friendly promotional events for local residents on Cortelyou Road to drive traffic to local businesses

Flatbush Nostrand-Junction Business Improvement District – Develop a robust marketing plan and business attraction campaign for merchants along the Junction corridor

Grand Street Business Improvement District – Combine business attraction and retention strategies to sustain a diverse retail mix along Grand Street in East Williamsburg

IMPACCT Brooklyn (formerly Pratt Area Community Council) – Offer workshops to build the capacity of existing merchants and implement a marketing strategy to diversify retail choices along Flatbush Avenue in Prospect Lefferts Gardens

Midwood Development Corporation – Host a series of promotional events as part of a local discount campaign along Coney Island Avenue, Avenue M, Avenue J, and East 16th Street

Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project Local Development Corporation – Host events to strengthen the connection between businesses and local residents on Myrtle Avenue and enhance the retail mix by combining business attraction and retention strategies

Pitkin Avenue Business Improvement District – Attract new businesses and further engage the Brownsville community by hosting broker-oriented events, organizing local district tours, and improving the façades of commercial buildings

Southwest Brooklyn Industrial Development Corporation – Host events to strengthen the connection between businesses on Van Brunt Street and local residents in Red Hook, and enhance the retail mix on Lorraine and Clinton Streets by combining business attraction and retention strategies

Manhattan

Chinatown Partnership – Launch a multilingual neighborhood discount program to increase the visibility and local patronage of businesses in the district

Harlem Park to Park – Host promotional events, develop marketing collateral, and coordinate a social media campaign to encourage Central Harlem residents to patronize local businesses

Lower East Side Partnership – Promote the Essex Street Market and its diverse community of small vendors by supporting marketing efforts that drive foot traffic and engage local residents

Two Bridges Neighborhood Council – Promote local businesses along the East Broadway commercial corridor in Lower Manhattan with the continuation of a healthy food guide and food ambassador program

Washington Heights Business Improvement District – Promote fashion and beauty businesses along 181st Street, Broadway, and St. Nicholas Avenue

Queens

82nd Street Partnership – Develop a rewards program with participating businesses and orchestrate seasonal events to encourage local residents to explore and shop along 82nd Street

Rockaway Business Alliance – Recruit members and organize meetings to revitalize the existing merchants within the Arverne, Edgemere, Hammels, and Rockaway Beach neighborhoods

Sunnyside Shines Business Improvement District – Create marketing collateral to promote and celebrate the diverse array of independent restaurants and cultural activities along Queens Boulevard

Queens Economic Development Corporation – Coordinate interactive programming in Woodside and Corona Plaza to connect residents with businesses

Staten Island

Staten Island Downtown Alliance – Host promotional events, develop marketing collateral, and coordinate discount programming to encourage residents to patronize local businesses along Jersey Street in New Brighton

Staten Island Business Outreach Center – Strengthen SBS’s Neighborhood 360° investments and partnerships in Downtown Staten Island by way of merchant organizing support in Stapleton and Tompkinsville

Avenue NYC Success
Last year, the Grand Street Business Improvement District (BID) was awarded funding through Avenue NYC in order to implement business attraction and retention strategies to sustain a diverse retail mix along Grand Street in East Williamsburg. The grant funding was used to create a business attraction program to reduce storefront vacancy rates and attract new businesses to Grand Street. The BID raised awareness about filling vacancies through a series of events. Property owner breakfasts were held to connect local brokers and potential businesses to local property owners. A Grand Street Property tour was hosted for property owners, businesses, residents, and real estate professionals to view the vacant properties. By the end of the project’s completion, three new businesses were successfully attracted in high-demand sectors to the commercial corridor.
About Avenue NYC
Avenue NYC helps commercial districts thrive and provide a vibrant mix of goods and services for residents in low-and moderate-income neighborhoods. Grants up to $30,000 are awarded to community-based development organizations including BIDs, local development corporations, merchants associations, and other organizations operating in low- and moderate-income neighborhoods within the five boroughs of New York City.
More information on Avenue NYC can be found at nyc.gov/sbs.
About NYC Department of Small Business Services (SBS)
SBS helps unlock economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers by connecting New Yorkers to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building vibrant neighborhoods across the five boroughs. For more information on all SBS services, go to nyc.gov/sbs, call 311, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.