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PUBLIC TESTIMONY

Testimony by Kat Peeler, Member of East Harlem 125th St BID Steering Committee

0:11:43

·

165 sec

Kat Peeler, a resident of Northeast Harlem and small business owner, testified in support of the formation of the East Harlem 125th Street Business Improvement District (BID). She highlighted the need for community and economic development in the area, citing challenges such as drug treatment centers and shelters that affect local businesses.

  • The BID aims to address issues like street cleaning and public safety, which are top priorities for local stakeholders.
  • The BID formation process has brought together diverse community members, including residents, business owners, and representatives from schools and cultural institutions.
  • The goal is to transform East 125th Street into a thriving area where businesses and cultural institutions can prosper, showcasing East Harlem at its best.
Kat Peeler
0:11:43
morning, everyone.
0:11:45
My name is Kat Peeler.
0:11:47
I am a resident of Northeast Harlem and the owner of a local small business.
0:11:52
I am also a member of the board of own Grand Central and part of the steering committee for the formation of the East Harlem 120 Fifth Street bid.
0:12:02
Having lived close to the East 120 Fifth Street corridor for nineteen years now, I can testify to how deeply the area is in need of community and economic development.
0:12:15
Our neighborhood is oversaturated with an over concentration of drug treatment centers and shelters that on a daily basis attract thousands of people to our streets and sidewalks.
0:12:28
As many of you who have studied the history of redlining know, these facilities replaced by design in our low income community of color.
0:12:37
What this means for our small businesses, a large number of which are owned by women and people of color, is depressed foot traffic since most potential customers do not want to shop or stop to eat along the East 120 Fifth Street corridor.
0:12:54
I am part of the East East Harlem 120 Fifth Street bid formation because also by design, want to see our neighborhood thrive.
0:13:04
Increased street cleaning and coordination of public safety strategies are the top two requests of our local stakeholders as determined by our needs assessment survey.
0:13:16
By creating a bid, we will have the resources to begin to address many of the challenges that our neighborhood has faced for so long.
0:13:26
The group of people that has come together as part of the bid formation process includes residents and small business owners like me, plus representatives from schools and cultural cultural institutions, plus property owners who have been both in the neighborhood for years or have more recently joined in advance of the construction of the Second Avenue subway.
0:13:52
We all represent different interests from across the neighborhood and yet have worked really well together over the past three years, in large part because we share the same goals of wanting our neighborhood to be a place where our sidewalks are safe and clean and where mental health is supported.
0:14:14
Our goal is for East 120 Fifth Street to be a place where our businesses and cultural institutions grow and prosper and show East Harlem at its best.
0:14:27
Thank you so much.

← Previous Chapter

Testimony by Carrie King, Member of East Harlem 125th St BID Steering Committee and Director of Uptown Grand Central, on the East Harlem 125th Street Business Improvement District

Next Chapter →

Testimony by Jordan Barowitz, Co-Chair of East Harlem 125th St BID Steering Committee on East Harlem 125th Street Business Improvement District
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