Northside BID is Bad for Democracy

Democracy hinges on the voices of the people being heard and respected. Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) centralize decision-making power in the hands of large property owners and large corporations, overshadowing the concerns and needs of everyday citizens, small landlords and small business owners while increasing the cost of rent for residents and businesses.

We already have an organization in place to manage taxation and land use, it’s called City Council. Residents of our community entrust their power to City Council to act on their behalf. City Council should not hand over that power and responsibility to a private company a.k.a. BID's!

Council Member Lincoln Restler is doing just that by hiring a consulting firm, Perch Advisors, to organize a private company and astroturf our community.

There is strength in numbers. City Council needs to hear from you. Tell them loud and clear: NO Northside BID — no way, no how.

The BID model is fundamentally flawed.

BIDs privatize local government functions, take away democratic representation and control from the people who live in a community.

BIDS make their money by collecting money through the NYC Department of Tax and Finance every quarter. This increase in tax is passed on to tenants and businesses. Rent is the most expensive cost for residents and businesses.

The proposed BID area is from Kent Ave. to Roebling St. & N12th St to Grand St.

Property owners become the decision makers…

BIDs are managed by a private company with a board of directors.

Under New York State Law the Board of Directors is only required to include one commercial tenant and one residential tenant. More can be added, but the board MUST always have a MAJORITY of property owners!

Owners of more properties have more say, while residents are silenced…

Members of the BID Board of Directors are elected by parcels not people. Big companies and big landlords who own multiple properties get more votes. Northside BID gets all the votes while citizens, small businesses, and residents get none.

Big Landlords and corporations will have more control over North Williamsburg…

Most North Williamsburg parcels are owned by big companies, developers or landlords who don’t even live here. Their priority is to build up their assets, not our community.

Who Wants a Northside BID?

After, Council Member Lincoln Restler and Executive Director of North Brooklyn Parks Alliance Katie Denny Horowitz went to several media outlets (see Brooklyn Paper and Greenpointers articles both full of misinformation) stating they have formed a "steering committee" of "over a dozen community members" we reached out in April 2024 for the full list of names. To this day they refuse to practice transparency or publish the names of members on their steering committee.

What we have unearthed:

Northside Steering Committee Bio

CM Lincoln Restler (non-resident of proposed BID)

An elected official who is working on city salary to privatize city services, Lincoln hired the consulting firm that is organizing the BID. A council-member started the BID not residents.

Katie Denny Horowitz (non-resident of proposed BID)
North Brooklyn Parks Alliance aka Open Space Alliance of North Brooklyn which is tied Two Trees (they own the waterfront). NBK Parks is advertised as environmental non-profit, but according to tax records they are an entertainment business.

Under Katie's leadership:

Residents living near "under the K-bridge" have experienced noise pollution lasting until 4am, influxes of uncontrolled crowds, increased trash and vehicles hazardously parked on sidewalks and literally anywhere they can fit.

Before privatizing NYS property under the Kosciuszko bridge, NBK Parks threw concerts on the waterfront along Kent Ave. Those concerts created the same health and environmental issues and meet with just as much push back by residents as presently is the case under the K.

Disabled senior residents living on Berry St. were denied public participation in designing the Bike Boulevard outside their houses which causes hardship. They have been subjected to harassment and accessibility issues preventing them from to living their daily lives like everyone else. The Open Street-Bike Boulevard was created by and for able-bodied persons. NBK Parks Alliance a recipient of federal money and millions in city funding. NBK Parks is being sued for violating the American with Disabilities Act (ADA). They have cdiscrimination of this protected class of people which is a civil right like race, religion, sext, etc. and it facilitated in this program for over three years.

Katie is most likely going to be appointed the head of BID, but with such a damaging track record of exploiting our public space, light and air for entertainment and a select demographic of our community we feel she is not qualified to be given the power and authority in which a BID would award her or anyone else.

Felice Kirby (part-time resident and property owner)
A board member of North Brooklyn Neighbors (NBN) and North Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce.

NBN board member, Ryan Kuonen, published the below violent and xenophobic post as a CB1 Transportation Committee Board Member (see published article here: Hate toward immigrants from Eastern Europe, including Polish-Americans, in Brooklyn.) NBN nor any local politicians spoke out or asked she be removed from CB1. Now they want this very demographic "Eastern European Immigrant Homeowners" to pay for their BID.

Felice has been an entrepreneur in Williamsburg for decades and led the rezoning which has lead to an over-saturation of bars and decreased quality of life for many. She is the former owner of Teddy's.

Peter Gillespie (part-time resident property owner)

His commercial tenants pay $25K a month. He testified at a Community Council Meeting he supported the BID becuase he wants to get rid of the illegal vendors on Bedford. However, we don't need a BID to get rid of vendors that are bad actors which are a problem. We need the city to actually do its job.

Empire State Reality A publicly traded real estate investment firm that has bought-up a lot of buildings in the heart of proposed BID area. They have ties to BIDS in Manhattan and are everywhere. Some of their tenants include Nike, Google, Sephoria, Northface, etc.

Perch Advisors is the consulting firm hired by Lincoln Restler to astroturf the Williamsburg community

https://www.perch-advisors.com/

https://www.perch-advisors.com/team

Kayla Joyner (non-resident)
Perch Advisors Community Engagement Associate

Theo Boguszewski (non-resident)
Perch Advisors, Senior Director Community Workforce Development