Meatpacking sees renewed BID push

 The Meatpacking District is seeing a renewed effort to form a business improvement district in the neighborhood, following a failed attempt several years ago.

Currently the Meatpacking District Improvement Association, which is behind the BID push, functions very much like a BID, but isn’t funded by a special tax assessment on property owners like a city-approved BID, according to the Villager.

If approved the BID’s boundaries would be set as Horatio Street to the south, Eighth Avenue to the east, 17th Street to the north and the West Side Highway to the west.

“Already a high-profile commercial, entertainment and retail corridor, the Meatpacking District is a world-class destination,” the M.P.I.A. said in a statement. “In coming years, the addition of a number of new commercial developments will result in increased levels of visitation and traffic. With such growth will come increased and evolving needs for area services. To respond to those needs, the neighborhood will require an organization with the district’s quality of life as its primary focus, and with the resources to be proactive in addressing the needs of the community.”

However, Elaine Young, a member who lives south of the Meat Market, complained at the December 19 Community Board 2 meeting that residents of the neighborhood were not being sufficiently accounted for. She proposed a resolution to place four area residents onto the BID’s board. The community board adopted her proposal. [Villager] –Christopher Cameron