What is a BID?
A Business Improvement District 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. BIDs 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 the property owners within the district. New York City alone has 64 BIDs and there are over 1,500 BIDs throughout the United States and counting. 

One of the most successful BID’s in the nation, Philadelphia’s Center City District (CCD) was established in 1990 by property owners in a high-tax city, mired in a severe national recession and municipal fiscal crisis, much like Kingston. The agreement to contribute to an assessment is widely regarded as playing a key role in setting the stage for investment and revitalization on an unprecedented scale

The Business Alliance of Kingston has been conducting on going focus groups with Business Owners, Building Owners, Restaurateurs, Homeowners and Artists to determine the needs and services along the Kingston Corridor business district and to create a Business District Plan for the City of Kingston.

BIDs have helped communities marshal resources to improve their business districts, attract visitor traffic and improve quality of life for all community stakeholders . These are services above and beyond what the City is capable of providing, but which the business community believes will ultimately result in help businesses within the BID boundaries.

Five Reasons Why Business Improvement Districts are Good Public Policy in These Economic Times

Like any asset, downtown requires on-going improvements and investments to compete against newer, shinier shopping environments. Moreover, consumers continue to keep close track of discretionary spending, which means more competition for fewer dollars. It is precisely this cut-throat competitive environment that makes BIDs an extremely valuable tool for downtown in their efforts to attract shoppers. 

Here are five reasons why BIDs remain a good option for downtown revitalization. 

1. BIDs leverage additional monies for commercial district revitalization. BID staff become advocates for their districts, able to make compelling arguments on behalf of business and property owners for additional investment. They often set the stage for investment by doing the planning and consensus building often needed to attract public funding. 'Shovel-ready' projects that have public support are in the best position to attract limited public dollars. BIDs can also submit grant proposals, and the BID structure allows for the receipt and distribution of grant dollars that otherwise might go to other communities. 

2. BIDs provide a mechanism for collaboration by local merchants. BIDs provide a valuable forum for merchants and property owners to discuss ways to work together more closely for their mutual benefit. Collaborative marketing and district-wide events are mainstays of many  BID programs - and good marketing can only happen with the input of local business owners. 

3. BIDs help stabilize and can help increase property values.  In 2006, Philadelphia LISC and the William Penn foundation funded an econometric study of 265 commercial corridors in Philadelphia. The goal was to provide a quantifiable measure of the impact of various activities on the commercial district environment. The findings provide hard data to support the conclusion that BIDs are good for property values. What they found was that there was a consistent and strong relationship between real estate values and the formation of BIDs. In fact, a well managed corridor is a positive amenity, resulting in up to a 30% price premium for properties located within the district. 

4. BIDs help drive overall retail sales for the district and retail sales growth for individual businesses. Another finding from the 2006 LISC/Penn study was the "strong relationship" between BIDs and retail sales for both the district and individual businesses as compared to districts without BIDs. 

5. BIDs prevent the free-rider syndrome. Downtowns are unlike single-owner shopping centers. In shopping centers, businesses pay Common Area Maintenance (CAM) charges for things like security, maintenance and upgrades overtime. This mandatory charge ensures that every beneficiary contributes. As we know, many property owners, acting independently and in their own self-interest, often choose to forgo common contributions anticipating that their neighborhoods will pick up their slack - this is the quintessential 'free-rider' problem which can be avoided under the BID structure.

While BIDs are certainly not the panacea for all downtown ills, they provide a structure that is critical to both on-going management and accountability from all sectors. Even when times are bad - and perhaps particularly when times are bad - we cannot ignore the need for management and investment in our downtowns.