Mayor Adams Signs Legislation to Create new Business Improvement District in East Harlem

June 22, 2025

Video available at: https://youtu.be/-dc1uAqZdgA

Intro. 1219 Will Establish New East Harlem 125 th Street BID 

 New BID Will Support Local Businesses, Coordinate with City Government and Neighborhood Stakeholders, Host Community Events, and Advocate for the Neighborhood 

Announcement Brings Total Number of BIDs in New York City to 77 

Adams Administration Also Awards $4.4 Million in New Grants to Neighborhoods  
Across Five Boroughs, $44 Million in Total Grants to Revitalize Neighborhoods and  
Develop Commercial Corridors Now Awarded by SBS Since 2022 

Announcement Builds on Record Number of Jobs and  
Small Businesses Achieved Under Adams Administration 

NEW YORK – New York City Mayor Eric Adams today signed legislation to create the East Harlem 125th Street Business Improvement District (BID), giving East Harlem a dynamic new organization to advocate for and coordinate among its businesses and community organizations. The new BID — which community leaders have supported for roughly a decade and currently includes over 85 commercial tenants — will also support sanitation and beautification efforts. According to the New York City Small Business Services’ (SBS) most recent BID Trends Report, in Fiscal Year (FY) 2024 alone, BIDs invested more than $207 million into neighborhoods across the city, supported more than 300 miles of commercial corridors, and boosted nearly 25,000 storefronts. The announcement — which brings the total number of BIDs supporting New York City to 77 — delivers, once again, on a key commitment in Mayor Adams’ “Rebuild, Renew, Reinvent: Blueprint for New York City’s Economic Recovery” to support the creation of new BIDs across the city and invest in neighborhood development directly. Mayor Adams and SBS Commissioner Dynishal Gross today also announced that the city will award $4.4 million in new grants to community organizations in Harlem, as well as other neighborhoods, to support small businesses, improve the public realm, and boost non-profits. 

“From its parks and playgrounds to its storefronts and small businesses, East Harlem is a place of rich history, extraordinary culture, and incredible food. Families, businesses, and residents deserve an East Harlem that is safe, clean, and thriving — and that is what this BID is all about,” said Mayor Adams. “But we’re not only bolstering businesses here in East Harlem; we’re doing it all across our city. We cut red tape, invested in working people, and helped shatter the record for the most jobs and small businesses in city history. We’re focused everyday on creating good-paying jobs and making sure that East Harlem and all of New York City is the best place to raise a family.” 

“I am thrilled to welcome the East Harlem Business Improvement District into New York City’s family of BIDs,” said SBS Commissioner Gross. “Through place-based expertise, stable funding, and strong governance, business improvement districts improve the appearance and functioning of commercial districts, ensuring that they are vibrant places commerce and community can thrive. SBS is proud to have supported the steering committee in forming the East Harlem BID and will cheer every success it has as the newest member of New York City's unmatched BID community.” 

Intro. 1219 — sponsored by New York City Councilmember Diana Ayala — would amend the city’s administrative code to establish the East Harlem 125th Street BID. The establishment of the East Harlem 125th Street BID is the culmination of nearly a decade of partnership between the BID’s steering committee, SBS, and Uptown Grand Central, a 501c3 nonprofit that advocates for the community. The process for creating the new BID began in 2016 with a Commercial District Needs Assessment (CDNA), a comprehensive, community-driven study that identified key opportunities for economic growth and outlined a set of recommendations, The new BID will both advocate for the neighborhood and deliver on the recommendations of the CDNA by providing supplemental sanitation and beautification services to the neighborhood. 

In addition to supporting the creation of a new BID in the community, SBS has invested more than $3.2 million in East Harlem since the start of the Adams administration.  

These historic investments have helped:   

• Attract new businesses to vacant storefronts. 
• Create and market a unified district identify for the East Harlem neighborhood. 
• Develop wayfinding materials and guides. 
• Expand support services for business owners. 
• Clean, beautify, and maintain streets and sidewalks across East Harlem. 
• Install new and creative lighting projects. 

The new East Harlem 125th Street BID will bolster these efforts, attracting entrepreneurship, investment, and economic opportunity to East Harlem.   

Additionally, Mayor Adams today announced more than $4.4 million in funding for new and continuing grants to BIDs, community-based development organizations (CBDOs), and nonprofits across the five boroughs. With this new round of grant funding, the Adams administration has invested more than $44 million in neighborhood revitalization and commercial corridor development since 2022. 

Avenue NYC Commercial Revitalization Grants  

The Adams administration will award $1.2 million in Avenue NYC Commercial Revitalization Grants to 12 groups to help CBDOs, BIDs, local development corporations, merchants associations, and other nonprofits operating in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods execute commercial revitalization projects. According to the most recent Avenue NYC Impact Report, in FY 2023, Avenue NYC grants supported more than 16,000 hours of supplemental sanitation services, facilitated 95 workshops and seminars that attracted 687 unique participating businesses, and hosted 326 community events that drew a combined 116,000 attendees.  

The following 12 organizations will receive a total of $1.2 million in grants: 

• 161st Street BID – Grand Concourse, Bronx 
• HUB Third Avenue BID – Mott Haven, Bronx 
• Neighborhood Initiatives Development Corporation – East Tremont, Bronx 
• Westchester Square BID – Westchester Square, Bronx 
• Boro Park Jewish Community Council – Borough Park, Brooklyn 
• Cypress Hills Local Development Corporation – Cypress Hills, Brooklyn 
• Grand Street BID – East Williamsburg, Brooklyn 
• Harlem Congregations for Community Improvement – Bradhurst, Manhattan 
• Harlem One Stop – West Harlem, Manhattan 
• Bangladeshi Humanitarian Aid & Leadership Outreach – Jamaica, Queens 
• Queens County Chamber of Commerce Foundation – College Point, Queens 
• Woodside on the Move – Woodside, Queens 

Avenue NYC Organizational Development Grants  

The Adams administration will award $400,000 in Avenue NYC Organizational Development Grants to six organizations to support commercial revitalization projects in low- to moderate-income neighborhoods. The awards will support the management, execution, legal compliance, leadership, and strategic capabilities of CBDOs leading these projects. 

The following six organizations will receive a combined $400,000 in grants: 

• BRIC Arts Media – Citywide 
• Community Resource Exchange – Citywide 
• Coro New York – Citywide 
• Ideas42 – Citywide 
• Lawyers Alliance for New York – Citywide 
• Van Alen Institute – Citywide 

Public Realm Grants 

The Adams administration will award $1,055,000 in Public Realm Grants to 13 organizations to enhance public spaces through creative lighting installations, commercial corridor navigation, and public art projects. According to the most recent Commercial District Lighting Grant Impact Report, in FY 2024, SBS’s Commercial District Lighting Grants, offered under the new Public Realm Grants, supported lighting projects for 2,620 businesses, increased streetscape luminosity by 188 percent, and led to 231 community events. 

The following 13 organizations will receive a combined $1,055,000 in grants: 

• HUB Third Avenue BID – Mott Haven, Bronx 
• Downtown Brooklyn Partnership – Downtown Brooklyn, Brooklyn 
• Flatbush Avenue BID (Church-Flatbush Community Alliance) – Flatbush, Brooklyn 
• GrowHouse Design & Development Group – Bedford-Stuyvesant, Brooklyn 
• Poetry Society of America – Boerum Hill, Brooklyn 
• Thrive Collective – Downtown Brooklyn and Bay Ridge, Brooklyn 
• Van Alen Institute – Gowanus, Brooklyn 
• 125th Street BID – Harlem, Manhattan 
• Union Square Partnership – Union Square, Manhattan 
• West Harlem Arts Alliance – West Harlem, Manhattan 
• 31st Avenue Open Street Collective – Astoria, Queens 
• Korean Art Forum – Murray Hill, Queens  
• Staten Island Urban Center – Tompkinsville, Staten Island 

Merchant Organizing Grants  

The Adams administration will award $900,000 in Merchant Organizing Grants to nine neighborhood-based nonprofit organizations to both form new merchants associations and support existing ones. Projects and services will align with best practices outlined in SBS’s Comprehensive Guide to Starting a Merchants Association. According to the most recent Merchant Organizing Grant Impact Report, in FY 2024, Merchant Organizing Grants led to 504 businesses being referred to SBS for supplemental services and consultations, supported 71 meetings for neighborhood-based merchants and small business owners, and helped 32 community events and festivals. 

The following nine organizations will receive a combined $900,000 in grants: 

• Kingsbridge-Riverdale-Van Cortlandt Development Corporation – Woodlawn, Bronx 
• Women’s Housing & Economic Development Corporation – Highbridge, Bronx 
• Brooklyn Alliance – Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn 
• Council of Peoples Organization – Flatbush-Ditmas Park, Brooklyn 
• Friends of Bogardus Plaza – Tribeca, Manhattan 
• Korean Community Services of Metropolitan New York – Bayside, Queens 
• Rethink Food USA – Elmhurst, Queens 
• Queens County Chamber of Commerce Foundation – Middle Village, Queens 
• Queens Economic Development Corporation – Jackson Heights, Queens 

Neighborhood 360° Grants 

The Adams administration will award $900,000 in Neighborhood 360° grants to five organizations to help identify, develop, and launch commercial revitalization projects in partnership with neighborhood leaders, activists, and community stakeholders. According to the most recent Neighborhood 360° Impact Report, in FY 2023, Neighborhood 360° grants supported the collection of 22,649 bags of garbage, the removal of 180 instances of graffiti, and more than 28,000 hours of supplemental sanitation services in New York City neighborhoods. 

The following five organizations will receive a combined $900,000 in grants: 

• Red Hook Business Alliance – Red Hook, Brooklyn 
• Central Astoria Local Development Coalition – Astoria, Queens 
• Queens EDC – Astoria, Queens  
• La Colmena – Port Richmond, Staten Island 
• Staten Island Business Outreach Center – West Brighton, Staten Island 

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