Step 5: Develop a Database of Property Owners and Commercial Tenants

1. Develop a Database of Property Owners and Commercial Tenants Within the Tentative Boundaries of the District

Once the tentative BID boundaries have been established, a database that contains information on the properties, property owners and commercial tenants within those boundaries must be developed.

In the following steps, you will use the information in the database to contact property owners and commercial tenants about the BID, soliciting their feedback and support. Remember to keep accurate records of these communications because outreach is an important consideration in the public approval process.

SBS will supply the initial database. The database you receive from SBS will be structured in such a way as to ensure that property owner data and commercial tenant data are kept separate. Please maintain this format.

All required data will be in the database that you receive from SBS except the names and addresses of commercial tenants. SBS uses the City’s real estate tax assessment roll to collect data on property owners, and data on commercial tenants is unavailable through this source.

The steering committee can gather this data directly by personally contacting tenants. Personally contacting these individuals is not only a way to gather accurate data, but is also an excellent way to gain support for the proposed BID.

Commercial tenant data may also be acquired by visiting the NYC Science, Industry and Business Public Library branch (188 Madison Avenue, 212-592-7000) and using the Information USA database or the Coles reverse directory. Steering committees seeking commercial tenant data in Manhattan can also use COSTAR. (Note: COSTAR is proprietary and not available at the library.)

Later in the process, you will begin tracking the positions (support or opposition) of property owners on the issue of the BID. A field is provided and pre-labeled for this data. You will also need to produce logs of phone calls and meetings with property owners and commercial tenants. Worksheets are provided and pre-labeled for this data as well.

A good database should include the following:

• The tax block and lot numbers and address of each property.
• Information on the use and assessed value of all properties.
• Names of all property owners and commercial tenants.
• Mailing addresses for all property owners and commercial tenants.
• Fields to track which property owners support the BID and which are in opposition.
• Phone / fax numbers and email addresses for all property owners and commercial tenants (where possible).
• Worksheets to keep logs of personal phone calls and individual meetings with property owners and commercial tenants.