Fort Greene and Clinton Hill will get a little brighter, a little cleaner, and a little safer this winter, say supporters of a Fulton Street business improvement district, which passed an early hurdle this week.
The proposed Fulton Street BID sailed through Community Board 2’s Land Use committee meeting on Monday night, with members unanimously voting 10-0 to send the plan to the City Planning Commission.
It’s unlikely that the agency, or the City Council or the mayor will object to the BID, which will stretch 21 blocks from Rockwell Place to Classon Avenue. Business owners inside such districts agree to an average additional tax of $1,017 annually that is put aside to supplement city services such as sanitation, security, marketing, and holiday lighting.
All four are priorities in the area, said Deborah Howard, who is on the BID steering committee and is also the executive director of the Pratt Area Community Council. The key, she said, is to create ways to stimulate business and enhance the overall neighborhood.
“[The BID] is really important for marketing,” Howard said. “It’s creating an identity, it’s having a Web site, it’s enhancing the foot traffic on the street.”
Howard said the BID’s proposed $300,000 budget allocates 43 percent to the four main services.
Property owner and longtime resident Sandy Nager said Fulton Street said he didn’t mind the additional tax.
“There are multiple services that are going to be provided,” Nager said. “I don’t think you can expect that the city can provide all things to all people, and I don’t think you can get something for nothing.”
