TESTIMONY
Calvin T. Brown, Deputy Commissioner for Neighborhood Development, NYC Department of Small Business Services on the Expansion and Support of Business Improvement Districts
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7 min
Calvin T. Brown discusses the Department of Small Business Services' efforts to support and expand Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) in New York City.
- Highlights the historical growth of BIDs and their importance in providing supplemental services and investments in local economies.
- Outlines the process for forming BIDs, along with information about grants and supports for their development.
- Details the oversight and technical support SBS provides to ensure the fiscal and organizational health of BIDs.
- Describes initiatives and partnerships aimed at supporting small businesses and the public realm through BIDs.
- Emphasizes SBS's commitment to ensuring small businesses thrive in every commercial corridor with the help of BIDs.
Calvin T. Brown
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Good afternoon, chair of police and members of the committee on small businesses.
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My name is Calvin T Brown, and I'm the deputy commissioner for neighborhood development.
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I'm joined here today by assistant commissioner Raquel Alvarez and Emily Edwards, the Executive Director for bid program and organizational development, and we are pleased to testify for on SBS role overseeing and support in our New York City Business Improvement Districts otherwise known as the bids.
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SBS mission is to unlock the economic potential and create economic security for all New Yorkers, creating connecting them to good jobs, creating stronger businesses, and building, thriving, and vibrant neighborhoods There are over 200 small businesses in New York City.
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Each contributed to a unique landscape in their community.
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SBS neighborhood development, oversees and guides our network of business improvement districts, and invest in commercial corridor, revitalization, through community based development organizations.
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Business Improvement Districts were created in the aftermath of 19 seventies fiscal crisis as a public private entity that provides supplemental services to commercial corridors.
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Over 40 years later, our New York City network has grown to 75 representing the country's largest business improvement network and spanning neighborhoods in all of our boroughs.
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Per SBS FY 22 analysis of bids trends, bids served nearly three hundred miles of commercial corridors and invest more than 187,000,000 into local economies in the form of supplemental services such as supplement to street cleaning, neighborhood beautification, place making, and business attraction.
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Bids, are governed by locally controlled non for profit boards consistent of locally property local property owners, merchants, and local elected and residents.
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Working with city and local communities bids serve as a powerful voice for their district and invest in a long term success of the businesses in their commercial districts.
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Among other responsibilities, SBS supports the bid formation process when local stakeholders are interested in exploring creating bids in their neighborhood.
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All formation efforts begin with the creation of a steering committee.
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SBS provides technical assistance to each bid and participates as an advisory member of each during committee.
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Under this administration, 2 new bids have been created.
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2 bids were merged.
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And partnerships with city council, we anticipate the creation of another bit Cypress Hill this year.
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We will always continue to provide such assistance to local communities and are happy to meet with members of this committee to explain the bid formation process in detail.
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As part of the mayor's administration blueprint for economic recovery, SBS expanded our support of Biz by developing historic new grants to equitably rebuild New York City's commercial corridors.
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Delivering on the Meryl Initiative, SBS created the 1st ever bid development grant.
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Totaling over 1,400,000 in FY23 and FY24.
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These grants are spur in bid development efforts by 21 different organizations, and many and many of them in low to moderate communities.
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Income communities are, over the past 2 years, we have also delivered approximately 3,000,000 in grants to smaller bids that historically lacked the capacity and the resources of larger bids in New York City.
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No one's at every commercial quarter has the capacity to take on.
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Not every commercial corridor has the capacity to take on bid formation, SBS, and the mayor's office of equity launched the 1st ever merchant organized and grant.
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We awarded over 2,400,000 to 14 organizations in FY23, 915,000 to 11 organizations in FY20 4.
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We have helped created or revitalized merchant organizations in more than 20 neighborhoods throughout New York City that helps to build the capacity for merchant engagement and organizing and conserve as a catalyst for future bids.
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Since the beginning of his administration, mayor Adams has awarded 6,700,000 in grants to community based organizations working in LMI Neighborhoods through our Avon YC and Neighborhood 360 Grant program.
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Avon YC enables community based organizations to hire dedicated full time project managers, complete commercial district needs assessments otherwise known as CDNAs, and carry out impactful data driven assessments of their communities.
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Neighborhood 360 grant provides funding to CBDOs to address key findings and commercial revitalization opportunities identified in the CDNAs.
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In addition to funding smaller bids, merchant organizations and community based development organizations, SBS plays important oversight role for Biz as well.
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My staff monitors the fiscal and organizational health of all bids manage each bid's contract with the city and collect annual reports in audits.
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We manage the billing process, working with the Department of Finance, to process more than a $150,000,000 received in assessments.
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SBS staff also serve as representatives on all of the bids for the mayor, including their audit and finance committees.
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Through this oversight role, we can target our capacity building and technical assistance services to address governance and compliance challenges within the Bit Network.
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We provide customized 1 on 1 support, workshops, and training for Bitstaff and boards and facilitate best practice sharing and professional development opportunities for bid leaders.
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Since the beginning of the pandemic, SBS has organized a monthly meeting with all bids, inviting city agency partners to provide updates to the New York City bid network during those meetings.
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These meetings provide an opportunity for SPS to hear from the bids about the on ground challenges and the real world implications of city policies.
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SBS also facilitates partnerships between bids, city hall, including the chief public realm officer team on strategic initiatives that support small businesses and enhance the public realm.
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In 2022, mayor Adams also established the 1st ever Small Business Advisory Commission, which is chaired by SBS Commissioner Kim, where the New York City Bid Association provides feedback on city policies impacting local businesses.
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We remain committed as an agency to ensure that small businesses are thriving in every commercial quarter, and bids are a key partner to this work.
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Our historic programming over the past 2 years has toward thousands of businesses and will continue to work with our bid partners in making New York City the best place to shop local.
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Thank you, and we look forward to any questions that you may have for us.