During its first virtual meeting, the City Council on April 22 approved the downtown Flushing Transit Hub Business Improvement District (Flushing BID) proposal to expand its services to further enhance quality-of-life in the community.
City Councilman Peter Koo announced the passage of Intro 1854, which will provide critical supplemental services including sanitation, advocacy, retail and marketing assistance, traffic management, pedestrian safety, and public space management.
The expansion comes with an additional $1 million annual expense budget for these purposes, as small business needs in the community continue to grow due to the impact of the coronavirus pandemic.
Tina Lee, co-chair of the Flushing BID, thanked Koo for his leadership on the BID expansion, as well as the NYC Department of Small Business Services, its BID Steering Committee and the Flushing community for their support throughout the expansion process.
“With this expansion, we are committing to creating jobs, hiring additional staff and providing a wider range of support and marketing services for our local businesses at a time when our community is struggling due to the coronavirus,” said Lee.
The existing BID covers Main Street (from Northern Boulevard to Sanford Avenue); Roosevelt Avenue (from Prince Street to Union Street); 39th Avenue (from College Point Boulevard to Main Street); 40th Road (from Prince Street to Main Street; and Kissena Boulevard (from 41st Avenue to Sanford Avenue).
The proposed expansion will cover the additional areas of Main Street (from Northern Boulevard to Franklin Avenue); Union Street (from 37th Avenue to Roosevelt Avenue); 37th Avenue (from Main Street to Union Street); 38th Avenue (from Main Street to 138th Street); and 39th Avenue to Union Street.
While the expansion has been 10 years in the making, Koo said it is needed now more than ever.
“Even before the coronavirus landed on our shores, the Flushing business community was feeling its ill effects in declining business and even outright xenophobia,” Koo said. “After this crisis is over, we will need to act quickly to revitalize those businesses through marketing and other support services. By significantly expanding the footprint of the downtown Flushing Transit Hub service area, we will allow for many more additional benefits and services to downtown Flushing.”
