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Board approves BID for Sutphin Blvd. blocks

By Courtney Dentch

Community Board 12 approved a proposal last week to create a business improvement district along Sutphin Boulevard despite warnings from City Councilman Allan Jennings (D-Jamaica) that the tariffs associated would harm some businesses.

The board voted 19-5-6 at its June 18 meeting in favor of the BID, which would impose a fee on property owners to pay for aesthetic and security improvements along the six-block stretch of Sutphin Boulevard from Hillside Avenue to 94th Avenue.

The district's budget, funded through an additional real estate tax paid by the property owners, would allow the group to pay for additional services such as sanitation and safety patrols and decorative lamps, plants and benches, said Jessica Baker, of Greater Jamaica Development Corp., which is supporting the BID. The BID still needs city approval, but it could be up and running by next summer.

“The services of the BID will continue to benefit the community for years,” Baker said. “It's an investment for the community and the businesses there.”

A portion of the project would be funded through a $1.5 million federal grant, which would cover the installation of plants, benches, lights and information kiosks from Jamaica to Hillside avenues, said April Jones, a steering committee member.

The BID is aimed at capitalizing on foot traffic from the Queens County Surrogate's Court at 88-11 Sutphin Blvd. and the Queens County Civil Court at 89-17 Sutphin Blvd. as well as the AirTrain Terminal at the corner of 94th Avenue, which is set to open by the end of this year.

The BID was to have included the blocks between 94th Avenue and 97th Avenue, but it was altered after Clinton Graham, who owns several pieces of property in that area, decided not to continue with the project, he said. Others who oppose the BID will have to pay the assessment fee despite their objections.

Jennings, who was instrumental in extending the BID from its original southern border of Jamaica Avenue to 97th Avenue, urged the board to vote down the proposal because of concerns business and real estate owners would be hit twice: once from the BID fees and again from the 18.5 percent property tax raise.

“Right now business owners are telling me that if this goes through, they may have to close their business, and that would mean losing jobs in the community,” Jennings said. “The risk to business is too great.”

Jones was upset that Jennings had changed his mind, going from the BID's strongest supporter to one of its opponents, she said.

“We could have had the BID up and running already,” she said. “All of us merchants worked very hard to organize the BID on the north side before Councilman Jennings came in and added the south side.”

Jennings was the only one at the meeting to speak against the proposal.

“It is unfortunate that the people who oppose this BID were not present here,” said Cardinal Sandiford, chairman of the Land Use Committee. “It affects them strongly and they should have been here.”

Some board members were in favor of making the businesses that did not want to join the BID pay to operate in the community as a way to give back.

“These businesses in our community don't want to do anything for our community,” said board member Jacqueline Boyce. “I want to go to a place that's clean, safe and that looks nice. These businesses need to make an investment there.”

Reach reporter Courtney Dentch by e-mail at TimesLedger@aol.com, or by phone at 718-229-0300, Ext. 138.