Voting Opens on Plan for North Williamsburg Business District

By Y.M. Lowy

Ballots are being mailed this week as residents, property owners, and businesses in North Williamsburg vote on whether to create a new Business Improvement District, known as a BID.

The proposed district would cover a large stretch of the neighborhood, roughly from North 15th Street down to Grand Street and from the East River over to Bedford Avenue, including several busy shopping and business areas.

If approved, the BID would fund extra neighborhood services such as additional trash pickup, snow removal, sidewalk sweeping, and power washing. 

Property owners within the district would pay a fee to support these services. Larger and higher-value properties, such as luxury stores, would pay more, while smaller businesses would pay less.

City Council Member Lincoln Restler said similar districts have worked well in other parts of the city and can help neighborhoods get services the city alone hasn’t kept up with.

If the proposal moves forward, creating the BID would still take time, requiring approval from stakeholders, public hearings, and city legislation before it officially becomes reality.