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  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 10, 2002
PR-180-02
www.nyc.gov


MAYOR MICHAEL R. BLOOMBERG HONORS
RECIPIENTS OF 2002 NEW YORK CITY NEIGHBORHOOD
DEVELOPMENT AWARDS


Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg this evening presented honors to the seventeen recipients of the 2002 New York City Neighborhood Development Awards at a reception held at Gracie Mansion. The awards, established in honor of the late Barbara Wolff, are given to neighborhood organizations that have demonstrated their commitment to excellence and an entrepreneurial spirit with a creative flair, to enhance New York City's quality of life. Barbara Wolff led the Department of Business Services' Neighborhood Development Division for over twenty-one years, and she was instrumental in creating the City's Business Improvement District (BID) and Commercial Revitalization programs. Department of Business Services (DBS) Commissioner Robert Walsh, Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris, Chief of Staff for the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding Sharon Greenberger, President of Washington DC-based International Downtown Association David Feehan, and Chief Operating Officer of Con Edison Kevin Burke also attended the event. Con Edison underwrote this year's award ceremony.

"It is my pleasure to present these important awards to individuals and organizations from all the boroughs who have worked creatively and often times with limited resources to create communities and neighborhoods that are attractive and viable places to live, shop and do business," said Mayor Bloomberg. "The paths that lead to successful neighborhood development are as varied and vibrant as New York's neighborhoods themselves. The projects we honor this evening demonstrate that innovation, perseverance, ingenuity and collaboration come in many forms and fashions. Our goal in New York City is to help neighborhood and community development organizations succeed."

"Tonight we celebrate the collective success of those who have tirelessly invested in and developed their businesses, neighborhoods and communities to generate hope, opportunity and prosperity," said DBS Commissioner Walsh.

New York City's Business Improvement Districts, Local Development Corporations and other neighborhood business organizations nominated projects in four award categories for either an award of distinction or merit. Categories included Economic Development, Marketing & Promotions, Community Development and Public Space, and an overall award for outstanding achievement. Under the leadership of Assistant Commissioner of Neighborhood Development Mark Newhouse, DBS administered the nomination, evaluation and selection process in collaboration with Joe Chan of the Office of the Deputy Mayor for Economic Development and Rebuilding, Dr. Mitchell Moss of New York University, and Hector Ramirez of Citibank. This year's award recipients are as follows:

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT

AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Rolling Up the Gates
Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project Local Development Corporation

Rolling Up the Gates is a project of the Myrtle Avenue Revitalization Project designed to decrease vacancy rates, attract a broader range of high-quality businesses, and attract shoppers to this major thoroughfare in the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bedford-Stuyvesant neighborhoods of Brooklyn. Property owners simultaneously opened their available storefronts for visits from more than fifty prospective tenants resulting in numerous signed leases.

AWARDS OF MERIT

Forward Fashion Designer Incubator
Lower East Side Business Improvement District

Forward Fashion Designer Incubator, created by the Lower East Side BID, is a groundbreaking effort that successfully stimulates retail development in the neighborhood and provides business training and affordable commercial space to emerging fashion designers.

Jamaica First Parking, LLC
Greater Jamaica Development Corporation

Jamaica First Parking merged two City-owned municipal parking lots into one state-of-the-art facility that provides much-needed affordable parking in downtown Jamaica, generating tax revenue for the City.

Staten Island Economic Development Conference
Staten Island Economic Development Corporation

The Staten Island Development Conference is a highly attended, borough-wide event that showcases public-private development projects and business opportunities for entrepreneurs, investors, and other business leaders, and serves as an important catalyst for business development across the entire borough.

MARKETING & PROMOTIONS

AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Madison Avenue: Where Fashion Meets Art
Madison Avenue Business Improvement District

Madison Avenue: Where Fashion Meets Art is a ground-breaking promotional event that uniquely combines two of the great assets of Madison Avenue - fashion boutiques and art galleries - while underwriting an important arts in education initiative. Produced by the Madison Avenue BID, the event brought together over 100 neighborhood boutiques and galleries for a two-week campaign. Madison Avenue: Where Fashion Meets Art strengthens the district's identity as the fashion and fine art capital of New York City, while building ties to the larger community.

AWARDS OF MERIT

Astoria Destination Campaign
Central Astoria Local Development Corporation

Astoria Destination Campaign earns high marks as an innovative approach to promoting tourism in Astoria among New Yorkers and out-of-town visitors. The campaign effectively positions Astoria as a vibrant and multicultural neighborhood with a range of cultural, shopping and dining attractions.

Atlantic Antic
Atlantic Avenue Local Development Corporation

The Atlantic Antic is one of the preeminent neighborhood festivals in the City, characterized by its unique grassroots flavor that reflects the best of Brooklyn commerce and culture. The event attracts over 400 merchants and 500,000 attendees to the Boerum Hill, Cobble Hill, and Brooklyn Heights communities.

The Marketing of Columbus Avenue
Columbus Avenue Business Improvement District

The Columbus Avenue BID has creatively branded its neighborhood through a progressive and dollar-smart set of marketing initiatives that enhance the area's appeal to shoppers and tourists.

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Arts @ The Point
The Point Community Development Corporation

Arts @ The Point is an innovative set of arts and cultural offerings in the Hunts Point section of the Bronx including Live from the Edge Theater, a 220-seat performance space, poetry "slams," bi-weekly hip-hop nights for up and coming young poets and rappers, daily instruction at the El Grito Dance Studio, and photography classes developed in partnership with the International Center for Photography.

AWARDS OF MERIT

Fulton FIRST
Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce

Fulton FIRST is a comprehensive three-year economic development initiative aimed at revitalizing the Fort Greene, Clinton Hill, and Bedford-Stuyvesant sections of Fulton Street. The comprehensiveness of this initiative and extensive dialogue with the local community are remarkable among planning efforts of this nature.

Partners in Education
14th Street-Union Square Local Development Corporation

Partners in Education is a collaborative effort between the 14th Street-Union Square Local Development Corporation and Washington Irving High School, which has made it possible for hundreds of students to excel in high school, attend college, and explore a wide range of career opportunities through robust partnerships with local businesses.

Pride of the Heights
Washington Heights Business Improvement District

The "Pride of the Heights" campaign joins together Upper Manhattan merchants, not-for-profit organizations, and the community to promote child healthcare in the local Washington Heights community and provide aid to the Dominican Republic.

PUBLIC SPACE

AWARD OF DISTINCTION

Campaign for the New Madison Square Park
City Parks Foundation

The five million dollar initiative successfully transformed Madison Square Park from a state of decay into a beautiful, functioning park. The group rebuilt the park's infrastructure, expanded the park by 2,200 square feet, repaved paths and streets, created a maintenance facility, replanted lawns, installed new benches and fences, cleaned monuments, added a reflecting pool, and rebuilt the Southern Fountain. An ongoing education program teaches visitors about the environmental and historical significance of the park.

AWARDS OF MERIT

Beautification of the Broadway Malls
Lincoln Square Business Improvement District

The Lincoln Square BID has created an alluring atmosphere in the heart of the Upper West Side through its Beautification of the Broadway Malls public space project.

Courtney Callender Playgrounds
Abyssinian Development Corporation

The development of the Courtney Callender Playground into a beautiful, functional public space serves as a symbol of triumph in the Central Harlem Community.

Herald and Greeley Square Parks
34th Street Partnership

Herald and Greeley Square Parks provide ample reasons to visit and linger on 34th Street. The renovated public space welcomes pedestrians and visitors and significantly brightens this important crossroads in midtown Manhattan.

OUTSTANDING ACHIEVEMENT AWARD

Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center

The Greenpoint Manufacturing and Design Center (GMDC) has pioneered a highly regarded and unique approach to real estate redevelopment that has lead to significant business expansion and job growth. Founded in 1992, GMDC has rehabilitated five major centers of industrial activity, four in the last three years alone. Today, GMDC manages a portfolio of over 600,000 square of space that is home to 115 businesses in the light manufacturing, textile and food industries. These businesses generate over 650 blue-collar jobs, many of which go to residents in the immediate area. GMDC's unique approach to redevelopment and revitalization has maintained the diversity of the economic, physical, and social fabric of New York City.


 

www.nyc.gov

Contact: Edward Skyler / Jennifer Falk
(212) 788-2958
  Dawn Schneider (DBS)
(212) 618-8749