Rochester
“A BID is a concerted effort to further empower the powerful”
A CAMPAIGN group have spoken out about their opposition to the Clevedon BID (business improvement district) following a recent ballot.
What’s a BID?
“Business Improvement Districts (BIDs) are bounded geographic areas in which additional assessments are levied on businesses or property in order to fund security, maintenance, communication, and lobbying programs administered by private entities. BIDs use government-collected property assessments to advocate for the enactment, preservation, and strengthening of local and state laws that violate the rights of poor and homeless people.” (via WRAP) BIDs hire private security often called “ambassadors” whose primary purpose is to keep people “who aren’t ideal for commerce” out of the district.
What’s happening in Rochester?
The Rochester Downtown Development Corporation (RDDC) attempted to create a BID in Rochester in 2014. It was rejected by City leaders and small businesses. Recently, RDDC again started to quietly lobby for the creation of their BID. Despite considerable pushback including a petition, survey and public outcry, City Council approved RDDC’s desire to start planning a BID.
If they are successful, the RDDC will expand to become the Partnership for Downtown Rochester. The PDR will be able to tax every property in the district and spend those funds in the interests of the biggest property owners, with little oversight or recourse from the community. BIDs are extremely difficult to get rid of once in place. Progressive communities throughout the US are trying to claw back power from BIDs and undo the harm they’ve caused. In Rochester, activists, small business owners, community groups, and artists are joining together to demand transparency and educate our community.
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www.nobidroc.com
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Rochester
A contested BID
Proponents of a downtown business improvement district say that planning for Rochester’s future needs to be focused on community needs. BID opponents share that view—but that is where the agreement seems to end.
“For the last few months and today, this effort has been focusing on community engagement to ensure a community-informed process and a rich understanding of what the community wants from their downtown. We’ve made engagement our top priority,” said Galin Brooks, executive director of the Partnership for Downtown Rochester, at a community meeting it hosted Wednesday. Formerly the Rochester Downtown Partnership, PDR is the lead organization in the BID effort.
“This is a long and layered process, but community engagement is crucial to be responsive to community needs, priorities and preferences,” she added.
Others question, however, why this approach is necessary in the first place.
“A lot of times, when we want to get something done, I will get together a bunch of my artist friends and we will pool our resources and we will get it done. We do not need a formal structure to get shit done,” said Kelly Cheatle, the artistic director at balloon art studio Airigami, during a question-and-answer session at the meeting.
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