With the support and leadership of NYC Council Members Ritchie Torres and Mark Gjonaj, and the support and leadership
of Allerton property owners, merchants and business owners, the process of creating a Business Improvement District
(BID) in Allerton has gone into high gear. A BID is a full time, professionally operated not for profit corporation controlled
and directed by the property owners, business owners and residents of Allerton Avenue and White Plains Road. There
are 77 BIDs in NYC; 12 BIDS are in the Bronx. A BID exists to promote the growth of Allerton businesses, to improve the
quality of life for the Allerton business community, and to provide residents and visitors with a safe, clean and appealing
consumer experience.
The borough of the Bronx is a collection of small business corridors. The Bronx is not a mall filled with big stores, the
Bronx is a neighborhood with neighbors who own and operate small businesses which are supported by neighbors and
visitors. To support small businesses in Allerton is to support ourselves.
Nearby BIDs include Morris Park, Westchester Square, Throggs Neck, Arthur Avenue, Fordham Road, White Plains Road
and Castle Hill. Each BID neighborhood has its own issues and needs, but all focus on:
BRONX TIMES REPORTER, S BTR EPTEMBER 6-12, 2019 23
Promoting the businesses in the BID with newspaper and local TV publicity.
Organizing and operating business marketing events such as street festivals, holiday celebrations, business
promotion events, and Holiday lighting.
Solving problems with graffiti, broken parking meters, poor street lighting, inadequate street signage, unlawful
street vendors, and making certain that the City does all the service work your taxes pay them to do!
Regular cleaning of sidewalks so that business owners don’t have to leave their customers and business duties to
pick up garbage.
Instruction for merchants to better utilize social media and to make sales on the internet.
Monitor and address security needs and communicate problems to law enforcement.
Work with property owners to attract new tenants for vacant stores.
Compel the Department of Transportation to provide safer street crossings and lighting.
Effective cooperation with local elected officials for the benefit of the business community.
Secure public and private grant money for community improvements and safety.
The BID Development Team is out in the Allerton business community meeting with owners and residents to ask them for
suggestions about promoting Allerton’s business growth and the quality of business activity in Allerton. Future articles
will provide you with an understanding of what the Allerton community feels it needs to grow and prosper in the future.
A BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT (BID) FOR ALLERTON
What Will a BID Do for Allerton?
The Allerton BID Development program is made
possible by a generous grant to the Allerton
Business Community by Councilmembers Ritchie
Torres and Mark Gjonaj.
Councilman Ritchie Torres Councilman Mark Gjonaj