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Mayor de Blasio Signs Legislation Extending Boundaries of the Queens Plaza/Court Square Bid

January 13, 2017

Also signs legislation relating to the date of submissions for the FY 2018 preliminary budget

NEW YORK––Mayor Bill de Blasio today held a public hearing for and signed two pieces of legislation – Intro. 1314, in relation to extending the boundaries of the Queens Plaza/Court Square Business Improvement District, and Intro. 1415, in relation to the date of submissions for the fiscal year 2018 preliminary budget.

“Business Improvement Districts serve a special purpose in our city,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “They ensure that commercial districts are maintained, promoted and developed in a way that would allow businesses to flourish economically. Intro. 1314 would provide additional support to local business owners within the Queens Plaza and Court Square BID, increasing their ability to maintain, sustain and grow their businesses. I would like to thank Commissioner Gregg Bishop, Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer for supporting this legislation, Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito for her leadership, Council Member Julissa Ferreras-Copeland and the rest of City Council for passing this bill.”

“The New Year brings a new future for the Queens Plaza/Court Square business improvement district, and I thank Majority Leader Van Bramer for working on this important effort, and Mayor de Blasio for signing this legislation into law,” said Council Speaker Melissa Mark-Viverito.

“Business Improvement Districts are drivers of economic growth in neighborhoods across the five boroughs,” said Gregg Bishop, Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services. “The expansion of this BID ensures that more of the small businesses in Long Island City can enjoy the benefits of being part of a Business Improvement District.”

“I’m thrilled we are signing the Long Island City BID expansion into law,” said City Council Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer. “Now, even more of our neighborhood will benefit from the community development, beautification, sanitation, and marketing initiatives that have helped make Queens Plaza and Court Square the vibrant destinations they are today. This expansion is widely supported by residents, business owners, civic associations, and Community Boards 1 and 2, and I have no doubt that our newly expanded BID will make our community an even better place to live, work, and raise a family.”

The first bill, Intro. 1314, extends the boundaries of the Queens Plaza/Court Square Business Improvement District and increases the authorized amount to be expended annually while also modifying its method of assessment accordingly. BIDs provide support to local businesses to help them thrive. The health of the city’s small businesses is essential to the vitality of the local neighborhoods and the very foundation of the City’s economy. These additional funds will help the neighborhood – and the businesses within it – be the best they can be.

We are honored to be here today with Mayor de Blasio and Majority Leader Van Bramer to celebrate this great milestone, which is the culmination of years of effort by the great LIC Community. The LIC Partnership looks forward to working closely with all the great businesses and stakeholders in the expansion area by enhancing services, increasing business opportunities and drawing more foot traffic from the surrounding transit hubs,” said Elizabeth Lusskin, President of the Long Island City Partnership, which oversees the management of the Long Island City Business Improvement District. “We give great thanks for the guidance and hard work of the BID Expansion Steering Committee and its co-chairs Gianna Cerbone-Teoli, Angelo Ippolito and Paula Kirby. We also give special thanks to Council Majority Leader Van Bramer, who has supported this effort from its inception and personally worked so hard to see it become a reality on behalf of this special area of LIC. We also thank SBS Commissioner Gregg Bishop and his great team for shepherding us so ably through this complicated process.”

The second bill, Intro. 1415, relates to the submission dates for the fiscal year 2018 preliminary budget.

In his remarks, the Mayor thanked the bills’ sponsor, Council Member Julissa Ferreras, and the Council Member for the Queens Plaza/Court Square BID, Majority Leader Jimmy Van Bramer.

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