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Budget, Education & City Services
CB5 Resolution in Support of ULURP N. 2101998BDM the amended district plan for the Madison/23rd/Flatiron/Chelsea Business Improvement District
At a special Community Board Five meeting on Tuesday, December 15, 2020, the following resolution passed with a vote of 11 in favor; 0 opposed; 0 abstaining:
WHEREAS, The Flatiron/23rd Street Partnership (Flatiron BID) was established by property owners, businesses, residents and other stakeholders in 2006, and;
WHEREAS, The mission of the Flatiron BID is to enhance the economic development and experience of the neighborhood though sanitation services, streetscape upgrades, beautification, marketing, district advocacy, and outreach to individuals experiencing homelessness; and
WHEREAS, The Flatiron BID is governed by a volunteer Board of Directors that is elected annually and includes representatives from the Mayor’s office, the Borough President, the Comptroller, the Councilmembers and the Community Board; and
WHEREAS, The current Flatiron BID is made up of an irregularly shaped area of some 38 square blocks, running from 21st to 28th Streets and from parts of Sixth Avenue over to, but not including, Third Avenue; and
WHEREAS, The Flatiron BID’s proposal would extend the boundaries from the south side of 20th street to the north side of 30th street including avenues and mid blocks along Sixth avenue and Broadway, Madison Avenue and Fifth Avenue from 20th Street ot 31st Street, Lexington Avenue between 22nd and 26th Street, along 23rd Street from the west side of Third Avenue to the west side of Sixth Avenue, and along Park Avenue South from the south side of 20th Street to the north side of the 31st Street as well as the northeast side of 31st Street and 1 Park Avenue, between 32d and 33rd streets; and
WHEREAS, The current Flatiron BID includes 21 million square feet of commercial space and more than 4,500 businesses; and
WHEREAS, The proposed expansion would encompass an additional 100 new block faces and 1393 new properties; and
WHEREAS, The current budget of $3.25 million would increase by $2.75 million with the expansion to a total operating budget of $6 million; and
WHEREAS, The Flatiron BID will impose a seven-tiered assessment formula based upon square footage which would apply to the current and expansion areas; and
WHEREAS, The formula charges the seven classes as follows: Class ARetail/commercial/professional spaces and Class D.1-Parking lots at a rate of 16¢ per square foot, Class B-Large retail/commercial professional buildings over 1M SF on a single block at 13¢ per square foot, Class A.2-Mixed-Use over 200,000 SF at 6.5¢ per square foot, Class B Residential Only and Class D-Vacant Parcels at $1.00 per year and Class C-Non-Profits and Government exempted; and
WHEREAS, The Flatiron BID has no expectation of raising the current proposed rates; and
WHEREAS, Any attempt to change the boundaries, the budget or the current proposed rates now or in future of the Flatiron BID would require legislative scrutiny and could not be undertaken unilaterally by the Flatiron BID Board; and
WHEREAS, the Flatiron BID is committed to provide within the expanded area sanitation clean teams, public safety officers, homeless outreach, streetscape beautification including tree pits and flowers, marketing and promotion for Flatiron businesses and District advocacy; and
WHEREAS, No current city services, such as sanitation, would be reduced as a result of Flatiron BID services; and
WHEREAS, The Flatiron BID is exploring ways in which to welcome stakeholders from the expanded district either through an expanded Board or other measures including committees; and
WHEREAS, The Flatiron BID looks forward to working with stakeholders on community visioning for the district as-a-whole while recognizing the unique characters of the different areas including NoMad and the Ladies Mile District; and
WHEREAS, the Flatiron BID has agreed to return to CB5 six months after any approval of this extension to address issues identified by the Community Board; therefore be it
RESOLVED, Community Board Five supports ULURP N. 2101998BDM the amended district plan for the Madison/23rd/Flatiron/Chelsea Business Improvement District.