January 7th, 2009

Dear NOHO Property Owners, Residents and Businesses

We are writing to you as a group of fellow neighbors in NOHO who are interested in the preservation and maintenance of our special community. We know it is the people who live, work and own in NOHO that have made it the historic, creative and diverse neighborhood that it is today. But with the recent landmark status given the remaining areas of this historic district and the enormous amount of new interest in the area, it is more important than ever that our unique neighborhood has a steady vehicle through which it can be cared for. We believe that the established NOHO NY Business Improvement District (BID) through its 12 years of service has proven its efficiency and commitment to the concerns of the area. The BID’s current boundaries are from the east side of Mercer Street to the east side of Lafayette Street, and from the north side of Houston Street up to Astor Place. Through a partnership with the NOHO NY BID, we hope to expand their services eastward from Lafayette Street to the east side of the Bowery, and from the north side of Houston Street up to Astor Place.

A BID provides security and sanitation services that supplement those provided by the city, as well as initiates neighborhood beautification projects and special events. The BID offers property owners and merchants an opportunity to obtain additional improvements and services, subsequently increasing business and creating a more lively community for all.

 The BID was actually born out of a local citizen’s group when it became clear that funding based on donations was inconsistent and difficult to maintain. The BID has a steady budget year after year and the assessments, based on a set formula, are fairly distributed and collected by the city to be returned in full to the BID. We are still working on a formula appropriate for the character of the expansion area, but we know that properties used for residential purposes will only have the token charge of one dollar.

We are privileged to have secured George Glatter as a consultant to guide us through the BID expansion process. Mr. Glatter is the former Assistant Commissioner of the Department of Small Business Services and is an expert on Business Improvement Districts, their formulation and how they can most effectively serve a community.

The legal process for creating a BID takes many months. We will be seeking input and support from property owners and their tenants. Even though the proposed BID expansion will not assess residents, we are very interested in hearing from residents, as well as owners and businesses, about the services the district might provide. We are enclosing a District Needs survey and want to hear every NOHO constituent’s views and concerns about our neighborhood to help us determine what the BID should address. We would greatly appreciate it if property owners and building managers would make available and forward copies of the District Needs Survey to their tenants as well.

In the future, we will be having Public Informational Meetings for everyone in the neighborhood to learn more about and discuss the proposed expansion. If you have any questions or are interested in participating, please contact us at the NOHO NY BID, (212)677-4579, or email us at hfnohony@aol.com.

Thank you,

NOHO NY BID Expansion Steering Committee

Eric Bunch, Chase Bank 305 Bowery
Diane Brereton, Cooper Union
Michael Cohen, Village Voice
Harriet Fields, NOHO NY BID
Glenn Frankel, 32-50 Cooper Square
Sander Hicks, Vox Pop 308 Bowery
Jeffrey Kamen, 33 Bond Street
Jamie Meiers, Il Buco 47 Bond Street
Shineh Rhee, NOHO NY BID
James Steindecker, 56 Cooper Square
Victor Trager, NOHO NY BID
Omari Wachuku, Chase Bank 305 Bowery
Art Yuen, 56 Cooper Square