Posted by Sharon Davidson on 02/07/2009 under Doing Business | 
WHAT IS A BID?
New York City is home to the nation’s largest, most comprehensive network of Business Improvement Districts (BID’s) in the country. The city’s BID’s annually contribute over $80 million worth of services to more than 70,000 businesses in neighborhoods across the five boroughs.
A Business Improvement District or BID is a formal organization made up of property owners and commercial tenants who are dedicated to promoting business development and improving an area’s quality of life. BID’s deliver supplemental services such as sanitation and maintenance, public safety and visitor services, marketing and promotional programs, capital improvements, and beautification for the area - all funded by a special assessment paid by property owners within the district. Since its inception over twenty years ago, the City’s BID program has contributed over $830 million in supplemental services to invigorate our neighborhoods.
The New York City Department of Small Business Services (SBS) is the lead agency responsible for BID creation and oversight. If you would like more information or to learn more about SBS and the BID creation process, visit www.nyc.govdistrictdevelopement.
For a complete and updated list of other BID’s in New York City , please visit the link below.
www.nyc.gov/html/sbs/html/neighborhood/bid.shtml
Have you tried Dialing 311 for Non-emergency Situations?
Posted by Sharon Davidson on 02/02/2009 under Doing Business |
SUPPLEMENTAL SANITATION
Sidewalk Cleaning
Our sanitation crew at work during one of our many snowstorms
Through a yearly contract we hold with Atlantic Maintenance Corporation, a sanitation worker can be seen 7 days a week sweeping the avenue wearing a blue uniform with the BID Logo. He works hard to supply the district with supplemental sanitation services. He sweeps the District’s sidewalks and curbs, shovels snow and removes illegal posters from the Avenue’s street furniture, lines our trash receptacles, empties full trash cans, and places garbage on the curb for pickup by the NYC Department of Sanitation 350 days a years. Businesses, property owners and residents should contact the BID though our administrative offices at: 718-783-1685 to report sanitation-related problems .
MARKETING
Last year, the North Flatbush Avenue BID presented a North Flatbush Avenue Sidewalk Sale in July. The sidewalk sales allows retailers to bring their merchandise directly to the shopper, increasing their visibility in the district and giving them an opportunity to attract new customers. The merchants provided discounted merchandise and give- a- ways and the BID provided free activities during the day. Our merchants are given the the opportunity to buy into our Sponsor a Banner Program. 10% of our banners will display the merchants logo on all 30 of our decorative banners that adorn the district. The BID also provides the merchants with quarterly merchant meetings with keynote speakers who can explain options for the merchants in ways to advertise and promote their business. The BID also advertises quarterly in the local newspapers. The BID has many new intiatives in store for the 2009-2010 fiscal year to promote the avenue.
Facebook: The BID signed onto a social networking site in 2009 with the creation of a Facebook page. Through Facebook, the BID can reach a broad spectrum of interested individuals and much like the website, provide a clear line of communication and feedback from interested parties and stakeholders. If you are on Facebook and would like to be a Fan of our FaceBook page - click HERE
The BID is also on TWITTER. On Twitter, we provide our followers all the latest traffic updates of the day, and news and recent blogs about our district. If you are Twittering and would like to follow us, click HERE
BANNER AND HOLIDAY LIGHTING DECORATIONS
The BID installs streetlight banners featuring the North Flatbush Avenue logo . In 2009, the BID hung Holiday Snowflakes along the light poles from Atlantic Avenue to Plaza Street from Thanksgiving through the New Year. The holiday lighting gives Flatbush Avenue a festive feeling and a unique identity during the holiday shopping season. The banners are sponsored by local merchants and provide a long term source of advertising.
just one of the many snowflakes that adorn our district
NEWSLETTER
The North Flatbush Avenue BID prints a yearly newsletter and annual report to promote BID services and programming. It also includes information about our merchants, our yearly fiscal report and information on upcoming events. Our BID Newsletter coincides with our June Annual Meeting. Anyone can request a Newsletter by calling the BID’s administrative office or by going to our website and downloading a copy HERE.
E-NEWS MONTHLY NEWSLETTER
The North flatbush Avenue BID sends out a Monthly E-News Newsletter that is sent to neighborhood groups, residents and property owners. If you would like to be added to o ur mailing list and would like torecive our free E-News Newsletter, please sign up with your email address at the HOME page of this website. Its very easy. Our E-News Newsletter let you know about new store openings, closing and up to the minute news in our district. If you would like to see an archive of our monthly newsletters, please click HERE.
BUSINESS DEVELOPEMENT
The BID is a resource for merchants who want to improve, expand or reposition their business. For 2009/2010. the BID will host quarterly Free Breakfast Merchant Workshops, a time when merchants have a chance to network and discuss issues facing their business. They can hear from city agencies on initiatives or programs which could effect their business. The BID also makes referrals to city agencies such as NYC’s Department of Small Business Services and other agencies.
ADVOCACY
From unshoveled snowy streets to cracked sidewalks to major capital improvements, the BID works with stakeholders and government agencies regarding repairs and improvements that will make North Flatbush Avenue an even better place to shop, live and dine. Additionally, if a BID merchant or property owner is having an issue that requires government action, the BID administrative office can reach out to the appropriate agency. The BID maintains contact with all of its elected officials and with representatives of several state and city agencies.
In 2o08, Council member David Yassky secured $200,000 for the BID’s new streetscape plan of our Triangle Parks that run from Plaza Street to Atlantic Avenue. In 2009, Brooklyn Borough President, Marty Markowitz awarded the BID $200,000 for the BID’s streetscape plan. and Councilwomen Letitia James awarded the BID $200,000 towards the renovation of our Carlton Avenue Triangle, which is part of our streetscape design plan. The BID is currently in the planning stages and has provided the community with a free public community forum for their input, ideas and comments which have been incorporated into the new design. The BID hired W- Architecture and Landscape Architecture LLC who has created a new plan for our district incorporating all of the attendees ideas and comments. The presentation of the new streetscape design plan was shown in a 40 minute slide show by Barbara Wilks, founder of W at our June 24th Annual Meeting. If you would like to view the renderings for this project, please click HERE. If you would like a cd copy of the entire slide show presentation, please contact our offices.
Useful Links to help your business:.
Accion
Brooklyn Business Library
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce
Brooklyn Economic Development Corporation
Business Outreach Center Network, Inc.
CAMBA Small Business Services
New York Business Development Corporation
NYC Business Solutions
NYC Department of Small Business Services
NYC Financial Network Action Consortium
New York State Small Business Information
New York Workforce One Centers
Project Enterprise
Small Business Resource Center at the New York Public Library
United States Small Business Administration
Women’s Venture Fund
Posted by Sharon Davidson on 01/25/2009 under Doing Business |
How to Get to the North Flatbush Avenue area:
By Train:
to Grand Army Plaza
to 7th Avenue
By Bus:
to Flatbush Avenue and 7th ave
Looking for something different to do or want to go shopping? North Flatbush Avenue has:
- Some of the most beautiful old architecture in Brooklyn
- Many unusual shops and eateries to choose from
- It is a quick trip on the 2/3 or Q trains from Manhattan
- Plenty of parking including 2 parking garages a few short blocks away
- A mix of new retail stores and vintage boutiques, organic and health food stores, wines and liquors, hardware and house-wares, stationary, pet groomers,hair, nail and spa salons, carribean food, Pizzerias, and pharmacies.
- So many ethnic restaurants to choose from plus our famous Burrito Bar and Kitchen on the corner of Flatbush Avenue and Prospect Place.
- And of course there is Prospect Park, The Brooklyn Museum, The Brooklyn Botanic Garden, the Brooklyn Flea, the Green Market, Grand Army Plaza, BAM and so much more.
Transportation by subway: Take the 2/3 train to the Bergen Street stop or take the Q train to the Seventh Avenue stop. They both stop in the heart of the North Flatbush Avenue District.
Tranportation by Car: Take the Brooklyn or Manhattan Bridges to Flatbush Avenue and drive straight up Flatbush Avenue. Our district starts at Atlantic Avenue through Plaza Street and Grand Army Plaza.
The NYC Transit Authority has subway and bus maps available on-line. http://www.mta.info/nyct/maps/submap.htm
For more New York City sites to visit in and around our Borough, visit New York City and Company - New York City’s official tourism site. www.nycvisit.com
The MTA has complete Metro-North schedule and fare information information posted on its site. www.mta.com
The Long Island RailRoad information is available from the MTA on the web. www.mta.com
Dont forget to pick up one of the BID’s brand new Shopping and Services Guide - you can find one in any one of our stores along the avenue or call our office and we will be happy to give you one. They are FREE, give one to your friend.
map of the district.
Posted by Sharon Davidson on 01/24/2009 under Doing Business |
Grand Army Plaza
GRAND ARMY PLAZA
Grand Army Plaza, the oval at the main entrance of Brooklyn’s Prospect Park, was meant to provide a wide and picturesque approach to the park, which park designer Calvert Vaux considered a vital design element. The Plaza was one of the first features of Prospect Park to be built and marks the beginning of the Eastern Parkway (1866), the world’s first parkway also designed by Vaux and his partner Frederick Law Olmsted (1822-1903). The parkway’s intended purpose was to connect the City’s parks with ornamental roads free of commercial traffic.
From 1915 to approximately 1920, the Plaza was cut open to make room for the BMT and IRT subway lines. The underground tracks necessitated the removal of the electric fountain, which gave way to a grass oval. Construction on the current Baily Fountain began in 1928 and was completed in 1932. With the advent of the automobile, the busy junction of streets around the Plaza became increasingly dangerous and a “Death-O-Meter” was installed at the Plaza in 1927 that kept track of Brooklyn automobile fatalities. By the 1950’s, the Plaza was dominated by traffic, over 40 traffic signals were added in 1955, and the roadway was entirely repaved in 1958.
The bust of John F. Kennedy was added in 1965. In 1973 the Arch was designated an official City landmark, and in 1975 the entire Grand Army Plaza was designated such as well. In 1976 the victory figure on the quadrille on top of the Arch fell out of its chariot. The Arch was restored in 1980 and again in 2000.
Brooklyn Acedamy of Music
BROOKLYN ACADEMY OF MUSIC
Brooklyn Academy of Music (BAM) is America’s oldest continuously operating performing arts center, founded 1861, just a short distance from our district. BAM is a major performing arts venue known as a center for progressive and avant garde performance.
The first BAM facility at 176-194 Montague Street in Brooklyn Heights was conceived as the home of the Philharmonic Society of Brooklyn. It housed a large theater seating 2,200, a smaller concert hall, dressing and chorus rooms, and a vast “baronial” kitchen. After the building burned to the ground on November 30, 1903, plans were made to relocate to a new facility in the then fashionable neighborhood of Fort Greene. The cornerstone was laid at 30 Lafayette Avenue in 1906 and a series of opening events were held in the fall of 1908 culminating with a grand gala evening featuring Geraldine Farrar and Enrico Caruso in a Metropolitan Opera production of Charles Gounods Faust. The Met would continue to present seasons in Broolyn through 1921.
BAM now consists of the Howard Gilman Opera House which olds 2,109 seats. The Harvey Lichtenstein Theater, with 974 seats, formerly know n as Majestic Theater, named in Lichtenstein’s honor in 1999. BAM Rose Cinemas opened in 1997 allowing Brooklynites the chance to see more art films without having to go to Manhattan and the Hillman Attic Studio, a flexible rehearsal/performing space.
The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower
WILLIAMSBURGH SAVINGS BANK TOWER
The Williamsburgh Savings Bank Tower, or One Hanson Place, is the tallest building in the borough of Brooklyn and one of our districts familiar landmark.
At 34 stories and 512 feet tall, it is also the second tallest building on Long Island, and is among the tallest four-sided clock towers int he world. Built in 1927 by the architectural firm Halsey, McCormick and Helmer, it is lcoated at 1 Hanson Place at the corner of Ashland Place, near the intersection of Atlantic and Flatbush Avenues. Despite the name it stands in the Fort Greene section rather than where the bank’s original headquarters building still stands.
Originally the building was owned by the Williamsburgh Savings Bank, then later its parent, Republic National Bank, then via a merger, HSBC. For years the building contained offices, notably dentists offices: the New York Daily news once call it “The Mecca of Dentistry”. As of early 2006, Magic Johnson started to convert the building into luxury condominiums. The building is sometimes called “Willie” or “The Willie”, short for its bank namesake. As a 1920’s skyscraper comparable to those in Manhattan, but standing alone, it has been the subject of speculation and urban legends. It features a gilded copper dome, a public observation deck (now closed to the public), carved lions, turtles and birds on the exterior and a marble hall on the ground floor with 63 foot vaulted ceiling, 40 foot windows and elaborate mosaics.
PROSPECT PARK
Prospet Park meadow
Prospect Park is a 585 acre public park bounded by Park Slope, Prospect-Lefferts Gardens, Kensington, Windsor Terrace and Flatbush Avenue, Grand Army Plaza and the Brooklyn Botanic Garden. It is run and operated by the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation and is part of the Brooklyn-Queens Greenway.
The park was designs by Frederick Law Olmsted and Calvert Vaux after they completed Manhattan’s Central Park. Attractions include the Long Meadow, a 90 acre meadow thought to be the largest meadow in any U.S park, the Picnic House, which houses offices and a hall that can accommodate parties with up to 175 guests, Litchfield Villa, the home of Edwin Clark Litchfield, an early developer of the neighborhood and a former owner of a southern section of the Park, Prospect Park Zoo, a large nature conservancy managed by the Wildlife Conservation Society, the Boathouse, housing a visitors center and the first urban Audubon Center, Brooklyn’s only lake, covering 60 acres, the Prospect Park Bandshell that hosts free outdoor concerts in the summertime, and various sports and fitness activities including seven baseball fields. There is also a private Society of Friends cemetery on Quaker Hill near the ball fields, where actor Montgomery Clift is interred.
GREEN MARKET at GRAND ARMY PLAZA
The Green Market sells fresh herbs, plants and seeds
The Green Markets at Grand Army Plaza brings the best and freshest in upstate produce and fish from Mattituck, Long Island and meat from the heart of Brooklyn. All food is grown and produced by regional farmers specializing in organic, unprocessed and free-range produce. You will find everything from blueberry wine to goat cheese to one hundred varieties of apples and fresh-picked flowers, plants and seeds. You can also find fresh baked cakes, pies and bread. The Green Market is open Every Saturday, from 8 a.m. until 4 p.m.. The Grand Army Plaza green market is the second largest open air green market in New York City. It is located at the traffic circle near the Grand Army Plaza arch at the entrance to Prospect Park .Over half the farmers at the Grand Army Plaza GreenMarket are able to accept credit cards and EBT/food stamps.
The GreenMarket is a program of the Council on the Environment of NYC (CENYC) and was developed to support local farmers while offering over 600 varieties of delicious farm-grown products to City residents.
Posted by Sharon Davidson on 01/18/2009 under Doing Business |
Illuminated snowflake adorns Flatbush Avenue
During the month of December during a stroll up or down North Flatbush Avenue have you noticed that the avenue just got a little bit brighter? That could be because the North Flatbush Avenue BID and its Board of Directors have decided to change the look of their avenue with illuminated Snowflakes from New York Christmas Lights and Decorating Ltd. All 20 snowflakes were installed right after the Thanksgiving day holiday and will light up our avenue into the new year. The new snowflakes are just a few of the new projects that the North Flatbush Avenue BID is currently working on to beautify the district. Keep checking our website as we update you with more inniatives from the BID and some projects that you, as our neighbor , can get involved in too.
Our new snowflakes and holiday banners 2009!!
————————————————————–
Posted by Sharon Davidson on 01/17/2009 under Doing Business |
Santa in his elf driven Rickshaw rides up and down Flatbush Avenue
When was the was the last time you saw Santa in a Rickshaw riding up and down Flatbush Avenue?
Or, maybe…. When was your First time? It was probably on December 20, 2008 when the North Flatbush Avenue BID local merchants donated a driver, a Rickshaw and Santa Claus to ride up and down Flatbush Avenue from Plaza Street to Atlantic Avenue handing out candy canes to the children of the Park Slope/Prospect Heights area.
neighborhood children smiling with santa for their free photos
Then, like a Pied Piper, the children followed Santa along Flatbush Avenue to the warmth of the Avon Products store located at 229 Flatbush Avenue. Once inside, besides a beautifully decorated tree, the children had a chance to tell Santa what their christmas wishes were while sitting on his lap. The BID provided delicious hot chocolate and cookies for the children and their families.
Posted by Sharon Davidson on under Doing Business |
the NFBID 2008 Holiday Silent Auction held inside one of our local merchants
On December 16, 2008, on a cold and snowy evening in Brooklyn, The North Flatbush Avenue BID held its annual Holiday Silent Auction 2008 inside Harriets Alter Ego, located at 293 Flatbush Avenue. So many gift items and gift certificates donated by local merchants and even a lunch at Juniors Restaurant with Brooklyn Borough President Marty Markowtiz were posted on a wall for all to bid on.
A festive holiday 
table full of warm international foods and a bar was set up with wine and champagne for all to enjoy. The evening got under way with a special appearance by Brooklyn’s own First String Quintet.
Partygoers ready to pop the bubbly
The crowd got into full swing with the sounds of Latin Jazz recording artist Jose Conde and Jimmy T on bongos. Later that evening the partygoers enjoyed the sounds of lovely Lizz Fields who sang her latest hit “Brooklyn Flowers” from her new CD release “Pleasureville”. Over 200 participants attended that evening and the BID is proud to announce that almost $3,000.00 was raised to benefit our children’s programming in the Pacific Street Bears Community Garden for 2009! Our first children’s event will be the 2009 Annual Earth Day Event on Sunday April 26, 2009. Keep watching our site for full details.
a table full of mouth watering food donated by our local merchants
The BID would like to give a big THANK YOU to all who donated gift certificates, store items, decorations, food and to all the volunteers who generously donated their time and devotion to this auction, without everyone this event would not have been a great success! The BID values everyone’s involvement in all our activities on the avenue. We appreciate everyone’s support and dedication in promoting our community along North Flatbush Avenue.
Believe it or not, we are already thinking about our next Holiday Silent Auction for 2009! If you would like to know more about how you can be a part of our event or any of our events for 2009 or wish to volunteer, please keep watching our website for further details!
