Sunnyside gets a Business Improvement District

Although the mayor’s signature on a bill that gave Sunnyside a Business Improvement District (BID) was expected, business owners in the area can now reap the benefits of an area designated as a BID.
Mayor Michael Bloomberg officially signed a bill on Wednesday, September 5 that designated 92 properties along Queens Boulevard from 38th Street to 50th Street; Greenpoint Avenue from 42nd Street to 48th Street; and South Roosevelt Avenue from 48th Street to 50th Street as a BID.
BIDs, which are voluntarily formed community organizations that promote business development and improve the quality of life in neighborhoods across the city, are self-funded by local property owners and overseen by the city’s Small Business Services (SBS).
The Sunnyside BID, which is the 13th under Bloomberg’s tenure, will provide maintenance and sanitation services, security services, marketing and promotion of local businesses, holiday lighting, economic development, beautification and landscaping. “The services provided to the community are essential to ensuring those small businesses, and the neighborhoods in which they operate, are given every opportunity to succeed,” Bloomberg said.
Already, businesses in the area are excited about the advantages it will provide for the community.
Lily Gavin, Vice President of the Sunnyside Chamber of Commerce called the bill a “renaissance for Sunnyside,” while her colleague, John Vogt, President of the Sunnyside Chamber said that the BID was just the beginning and a lot of work that still needed to be occur.
Meanwhile, Queens Borough President Helen Marshall and City Councilmember Eric Gioia, who represents Sunnyside, have praised the plan and the benefits it will provide to the community.
“The Sunnyside BID will mean a safer, cleaner, and more welcoming neighborhood,” Gioia said. “It’s wonderful to see everyone come together to work toward a common goal of making our neighborhood an even better place to do business.”