FY 2013 Annual Report
2211 Church Avenue, Room 201
Brooklyn, NY 11226
718-282-2500, x79234
Section I. DISTRICT BACKGROUND AND REVIEW OF FISCAL YEAR 2013
ACTIVITIES
A. Neighborhood Needs Assessment
While Church Avenue lost several long-term and new businesses between June 30, 2012 and
July 1, 2013, it did not see the loss of any major tenants. Two of the properties (1917-1921 and
1913) are possible candidates for a storefront restoration funding for which we have applied.
Another (1801) is on a troublesome block but the BID has been making an effort to reclaim that
block for the merchants and the community (see below under “Increase Safety and Security in
the BID”) and has a good relationship with the property owner.
In February 2013, the BID completed Restore Church Avenue (RCA), a program funded by the
NY State Office of Homes and Community Renewal. The program has funded six façade
improvement projects and added 17 new trash bins to strategic locations along Church Avenue.
RCA projects have included new signage, renovated storefronts, and the replacement of façade
materials on three adjacent buildings resulting in an enhanced streetscape and overall improved
aesthetic on Church Avenue.
The BID has been involved in guiding the progress of a $3.2 million Streetscaping project
managed by the NYC Dept. Of Design and Construction to replace all our sidewalks, install curb
extensions, plant trees and expand tree pits, and review the efficiency of catch basins at several
locations within the BID which are prone to flooding. The project is funded by Brooklyn
Borough President Marty Markowitz, Councilmember Mathieu Eugene, and the NYC Dept. of
Transportation. We are now towards the end of the design process and are assisting the City in
contacting property owners to arrange for needed testing of sidewalk stability. The Streetscaping
is slated to begin construction in late 2014.
The BID is very active in the local community and with government agencies, advocating for
issues that will improve the District. Throughout the year, we represented the District at any
meetings, hearings, and events:
-Community Board 14 and CB14’s District Services Cabinet,
-70th Precinct Community Council, NYPD’s bi-annual meeting with Patrol Brooklyn South, and
a special Vending meeting held at the NY Aquarium,
-Public Advocate de Blasio’s Discussion on Economic Growth, the Democratic Mayoral Forum
on Small Business, Mayor Bloomberg’s State of the City address, and Brooklyn Borough
President Marty Markowitz’s State of the Borough address,
-Brooklyn Borough Hall’s Caribbean Day,
-Presented at a Community Board 14 hearing and testified before the Regional Economic Development Council to request the support of both entities for our application for $200,000 in
funding from the NY Main Street program, and
-At meetings with current and incoming business owners, prospective funders, and community
supporters.
As a result of the above representation, the BID was able to get speedy resolution of complaints
and concerns with government agencies, nurtured relationships with prospective funders and
government and community supporters, built a strong Advisory Committee to aid in the success
of the BID’s upcoming Caribbean program, and improved its chances of being awarded funding.
Other Neighborhood Needs Not Mentioned Above:
1. Safety: Although crime is down on Church Avenue, we feel that it still could be safer and are
working to facilitate this as well as ongoing efforts to address impacts of loitering and illegal
vending.
2. Ticketing: Small business owners have been unfairly ticketed from various City agencies. We
continue to advocate for fairer City policies, including giving merchants the opportunity to
correct violations, and helped two merchants fight ticket from DSNY and the Dept. of Health.
3. Online assistance: Social Media project increased the awareness of free marketing tools for
small business owners, particularly those with limited resources.
4. Commercial Loading Zones (Commercial Delivery Windows): We determined that Munimeter ticketing gave the impression that parking was allowed in no-standing commercial loading
zones in the BID. We worked with DOT to explore options and, after confirming that Munimeter software couldn’t be modified to accurately reflect parking rules, we worked with DOT to
add noticeable signage to remaining meters notifying motorists of parking restrictions.
B. Update on Fiscal Year 2013 Goals and Accomplishments
1. Create A Clean Church Avenue Task Force
We emailed and posted on Ditmas Park Corner, a well-read blog, that we were seeking members
to create a Sanitation Task Force. Consisting of three community members (Jason, Chris, and
Ryann) and two BID clergy (Rev. Kroon from Flatbush Reformed Church and Father Hamblin
of St. Paul's Church, neither of whom were able to attend the first meeting but communicated
with our Executive Director afterwards), the group held its first meeting with the BID’s
Executive Director and Program Coordinator on June 10, 2013. We were not able to recruit
merchants yet due to time constraints but hope to recruit several merchants as well. The Task
Force discussed issues including more frequent graffiti clean-ups, encouraging people to not
litter especially on side streets and at certain properties, follow up on the clean-up of a debrisfilled lot, and the need for signage to address dog droppings on a side street. The Task Force
decided to create multi-language signs to address littering on certain streets and is looking into
some of the other suggestions such as creating out-of-the-box solutions, such as multi-language
signs signed by Rev. Ramm and Father Hamblin. The next meeting is scheduled for late summer
2013.
Councilmember Eugene funded the A Clean Church Avenue program, enabling the BID to
organize and promote these meetings and follow up on proposed ideas.
Outcomes:
-Drafts complete of two anti-littering signs in English, Haitian Creole, and Spanish
-Worked with the MTA to have an under-utilized MTA-owned lot cleaned
-Planning a meeting for late summer 2013
2. Conduct Regular Conditions Monitoring
Thanks again to funding from Councilmember Eugene, BID staff conducted monthly sweeps of
the BID from end to end. This Conditions Monitoring allowed the BID to track sidewalk
conditions, graffiti, closed businesses, new renovation, as well as to spend additional time
speaking with merchants.
We also use this as a hands-on training tool for interns and try to schedule the walks so they can
attend. Their participation increases the amount of follow-up we can do on issues that arise. We
have found solutions for many concerns unearthed during these walks, including removal of
illegally-dumped debris, painting over of graffiti on the side of the Church Ave. subway station,
monitoring flooding issues and sidewalk conditions for Streetscaping project, and updating
information for the BID’s vacancy report.
Outcomes:
-Completed nine Conditions Monitoring walks this fiscal year.
3. Facilitate and Monitor Church Avenue Streetscaping
As noted in the Neighborhood Needs Assessment, the BID has regularly reached out to the
agencies involved in the upcoming Streetscaping of Church Avenue. We regularly speak with the
Dept. of Design and Construction (DDC) and Community Board 14 for updates, included
information about the upcoming project in BID updates which are sent to merchants and property
owners, and worked with DDC to send out a special mailing encouraging property owners to
cooperate with pre-construction testing.
The BID 's Streetscaping Advisory Committee, headed by local architect Darlene Bowers and
manned by architects, interested residents, and business owners, had been focused on guiding the
BID's Restore Church Avenue storefront restoration program. The committee voted in July 2013
to expand the Committee’s reach to include involvement in the Streetscaping and other nearby
projects.
Outcomes:
-Letter written and sent to 102 property owners urging them to contact DDC.
-Follow up with 10-15 property owners regarding the letter and with DDC’s Engineer-in-Charge.
-Held three Streetscaping Advisory Committee meetings.
4. Create and Implement Sponsorship Program to Fund Staff
While we have not reached our goals in creating a sponsorship program, we have been
researching costs and feasibility of a sponsorship program which would acknowledge sponsors'
involvement in several ways (possibly on T-shirts, social media, and street light banners). We
also have compiled and begun researching an initial list of six prospective sponsors.
Outcomes:
-Gathered quotes from two T-shirt manufacturers.
-Reviewed banner details compiled by former Executive Director.
-Compiled list of six prospective sponsors.
5. Increase the BID's/Merchants' Online Presence
The BID successfully increased the online presence of Church Avenue businesses. The BID was
awarded a $25,000 Avenue NYC grant through the City's Dept. of Small Business Services for a
Placemaking program which included both restaurant/food promotion and social media outreach
and training. The program was managed by Program Coordinator Melissa Skolnick. BID staff
attended a Yelp Small Business Workshop and created a Facebook page which we regularly used
to promote BID merchants, sales, news, and general information about events on Church
Avenue.
After distributing a Social Media survey to determine interest and assess skill levels, BID staff
formulated customized strategies for individual merchants. BID Intern Benjamin Fink held
detailed one-on-one tutorials with both merchants and their family members responsible for the
business’s online presence. In these sessions, merchants have learned how to claim a Yelp page
and interact with customers, update and personalize Facebook accounts, and post discounts and
deals online. As we wrapped up the Social Media training, the BID produced individual
assessments and future suggestions for 13 businesses on Church Avenue. BID Merchants/Social
Media trainees Jessie and Jose Ortega (Flatbush Latin Grill), Joyce and Roger Bittan (Shayna’s
Restaurant), Zola Grandison (Z Spot Salon), Sammy Aoun (Berto for Kids), Joe Guilateri and
Bruno Theimer (Meat Palace Supreme), Steve Chasin (Gifts on Parade), and John Chung (John’s
Deli & John’s Liquor) attended one-on-one tutorials led by BID staff.
The BID also recruited representatives of Brooklyn Social Media as judges for the BID’s Food
Contest which took place at our April 2013 Street Fair. Yelp’s Brooklyn Community Director
Peter DeNat, the Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce’s Lori Raphael (who handles Social Media
for the Chamber’s Brooklyn Eats campaign), Brokelyn’s Faye Penn, and Ditmas Park Corner’s
Mary Bakija joined our judging panel and promoted the contest and the Fair on their blogs and
websites.
Outcomes:
-Posted 30 merchant-focused posts on Facebook, getting 187 Likes.
-Trained ten merchants on in Social Media.
-Produced personal Social Media assessments for 13 businesses.
-Recruited four Social Media specialists to participate in and help promote BID event.
Other Major Accomplishments
1. From Roti to Rhubarb Food Events on November 12, 2012 and January 25 & 26, 2013
The first From Roti to Rhubarb food event was held on November 17, 2012 at the Flatbush
Reformed Church. The event was led by Church Avenue newcomer David Sheridan, chef and
owner of the soon-to-open Wheated restaurant. 17 volunteers, comprised of both new and longtime local residents, were introduced to Sheridan and assisted in cooking a robust meal of baked
ziti, minestrone soup, and zucchini slaw for 75 adults and children at the church’s soup kitchen.
Ingredients were donated by Church Avenue merchants and table decorations were crafted by the
children of BID-member Honeydew Drop Day Care. The second From Roti to Rhubarb food
event took place on January 25th and 26th, 2013. A diverse group of Church Avenue chefs from
restaurants Shayna’s, El Acuario, Wheated, and Zagat-rated Am-Thai invited volunteers into
their kitchens to prepare dishes for the Flatbush Reformed Church’s soup kitchen on January
26th. Councilmember Mathieu Eugene and 18 volunteers cooked up a storm and served over 100
people at the Flatbush Reformed Church’s weekly soup kitchen.
In addition, the BID produced 1,000 copies of a food directory, From Roti to Rhubarb: A Guide
to the Food of Church Avenue. The directory includes a fold-out map of Church Avenue, a list of
all businesses within the BID, recipes and photographs of Church Avenue merchants,
entertaining tips provided by a local party planner with materials sourced on the Avenue, and
grab-and-go food options. The directories were distributed throughout the BID and in
neighboring areas.
2. Restore Church Avenue program completed on January 13, 2013
We successfully completed the Restore Church Avenue program, active from August 2010 to
February 2013. This program was funded by the NY State Office of Homes and Community
Renewal’s New York Main Street program in the amount of $300,139. This program resulted in
the renovation of six storefronts and building facades and the addition of 17 high-end 36 gallon
trash bins along Church Avenue. The program received high marks from the Homes &
Community Renewal for our planning, foresight, and execution.
3. Street Fair on April 21, 2013
The BID partners annually with the 70th Precinct Community Council to produce a Street Fair in
the spring in the Western section of the BID. This year’s Fair was a huge success with over 5,000
attendees. In addition to providing vendors and rides, the BID organized a $1 Restaurant Hour
(during which participating businesses provided samples for $1) and hosted a food contest. The
contest brought together a group of judges: Assemblymember Jim Brennan, State Sen. Kevin
Parker, Dylan and Mahadya Mary (Dept. of Small Business Services), Lori Raphael (Brooklyn
Chamber of Commerce), David and Kim Sheridan (Wheated), Peter DeNat (Yelp), Mary Bakija
(Ditmas Park Corner), Faye Penn and Ezra Tishcoff (Brokelyn), Ret. Lt. Rob Pultorak (FDNY),
and the BID’s Lauren Elvers Collins. In addition, the BID provided outdoor seating throughout
the Fair to further encourage patronage at the participating BID’s restaurants.
4. Graffiti Clean-Up on June 1, 2013
More than 50 volunteers cleaned up Church Avenue on Sat. June 1, 2013 as part of the BID's A
Clean Church Avenue graffiti clean-up. Sponsored by Councilmember Mathieu Eugene, Lowe's,
Medina Silk Printing, and the businesses of Church Avenue and organized in partnership with
the Flatbush Development Corporation, volunteers and BID staff painted, weeded, and picked up
trash along Church Avenue and on nearby residential streets. Fourteen sites were painted to
address huge areas of graffiti, including the wall facing E. 18th Street, the entire side of the
building of St. Paul's Church, and the side of Flatbush Latin Grill, among others, thanks to folks
from the B/Q community garden, students from CAMBA's Adult Literacy program,Father
Hamblin and his congregants from St. Paul’s Church & others. Volunteers including 9-year-old
Kimora, cleaned the Flatbush Reformed Church's yard & native garden. Teens from the 70th
Precinct Explorers and Brooklyn Tech H.S.'s BETA club tackled the green area at E. 16th. and
Church and picked up trash from the residential side of Church Avenue from Buckingham Road
to Coney Island Avenue.
SECTION II: FY14 GOALS
A. Fiscal Year 2013 Goals
1. Upgrade Holiday Lights
The BID has commissioned the same holiday light design for the past several years: an
illuminated swag with a snowflake in the center which is hung across the Avenue in 10 – 11
locations. The lights are illuminated from just before Thanksgiving till early January of the
following year. While it has always been well-received, there has been interest in doing
something different: possibly changing to a new design, arranging for merchants to have trees in
front of their businesses wrapped with lights, or the possibility of art lighting. The BID priced
tree wrapping and while that may be too costly, we are exploring the other two options as a way
to generate new interest in the District.
Success will be measured by holding a meeting with our holiday lights provider to discuss other
options and (separately) exploring the feasibility of art lighting, both by April 30, 2014; a
decision on best next steps in time for consideration at the spring/summer 2014 Board meeting;
and a draft contract for the new design or initial planning for art lighting by May 31, 2014.
2. Enable Additional Storefront Improvements
As mentioned above, the BID applied for a $200,000 NY Main Street grant to reactivate our
Restore Church Avenue program, funding the restoration of up to 75% of the cost of five eligible
storefronts and commercial interiors in the BID. We submitted a detailed application and
attended a related Consolidated Funding Application workshop at Brooklyn College, followed by
presenting at a Community Board 14 hearing and testifying before the Regional Economic
Development Council to request the support of both entities for our application. We received
high marks from the state on our performance and follow through under the prior NY Main
Street grant and are hopeful that we will be awarded this grant so we can continue to assist
property owners and merchants and improve the appearance of Church Avenue. Property owners
of prospective projects have agreed to commit a combined $339,000 towards renovations if the
program is funded.
Success will be measured primarily by securing the grant, which we expect to find out about in
Dec. 2013. It will also be measured by our ability to implement the grant starting in January
2014. We are fortunate to have all the needed materials which we created for our 2010 – 2013
NY Main Street grant that recently closed and have Program Coordinator Melissa Skolnick on
staff with her strong track record for managing the program. We plan to apply to the City’s
Avenue NYC program for a Façade Improvement Management grant to help pick up the cost of
administering this grant.
3. Increase Safety and Security in the BID
The BID has a good relationship with the 70th Precinct and attends Precinct Council meetings
whenever possible. We participated in a special NYPD meeting on Vending in July and attend
the bi-annual BID meetings with NYPD Patrol Brooklyn South to voice our ongoing concerns.
We addressed the problem of loitering in the vicinity of E. 18th Street by supporting the incoming
Q Gardens project (a community garden which will soon be established in the lot behind the
Church Ave. B/Q train station) and working closely with Community Board 14, NYPD, and
Dept. of Sanitation to address multiple health and safety issues impacting the exterior of a vacant
store on the NE corner of E. 18th Street.
While Church Avenue has seen a decrease in crime recently, there is still work that can be done
to improve security and safety. We will explore the pros and cons of different types of security
cameras and, if appropriate, will seek funding to install them.
Success will be measured by completing our research of security cameras by Jan. 31, 2014 and,
if needed, approach elected officials for funding to install cameras by the spring 2014 legislative
funding season.
4. Recruit Additional Board Members
The Board is currently seeking one Commercial Tenant, one Residential Tenant, and possibly
two Property Owner Board members. The BID’s Board Development Committee will meet in
July 2013 to discuss procedures and review information on candidates who have been identified
by current Board members and the BID’s Executive Director.
Success will be measured by collecting the names of enough candidates in the needed categories,
vetting them, and voting on them to fill the required slots in time for the BID’s Dec. 2013
Annual Meeting. Note: While we need to bring a Residential Tenant onto the Board, it has been
extremely difficult to identify an interested candidate who meets all the requirements. We feel
that this may take longer to accomplish than June 30, 2014 yet we will continue to try to identify
someone in this category.
The City can be of assistance by serving on the Committee (represented by Dept. of Small
Business Services’ Mahadya Mary) until we are able to replace her with a Property Owner or
Commercial Tenant Board member.
5. Further Increase the BID’s Online Presence
We want to build upon goal from our FY12 Annual Report of increasing our online presence to
explore the feasibility of adding Twitter and/or creating content for Ditmas Park Corner (a local
blog with readership of 60,000 – 70,000 unique visitors per month). We have been researching
how similar organizations use Twitter and have discussed it with several people heavily involved
in social media. We are in close contact with the Publisher/Editor-in-Chief and the Managing
Editor of Corner News Media and the Editor of Ditmas Park Corner and are looking into the
possibility of recruiting an intern who would create content about BID businesses which could
run on that blog at regular intervals.
Success will be measured by launching and publicizing a Twitter account by Dec. 31, 2013;
recruiting an intern with strong writing skills to start in early 2014; and contacting Ditmas Park
Corner by Jan. 31, 2014 regarding publishing BID content.
SECTION III: CONTRACTS
See attached spreadsheet.
SECTION IV: ORGANIZATIONAL INFORMATION
A. Organizational Changes
BID staff consists of a full time Executive Director, Lauren Elvers Collins, and a part time
Program Coordinator, Melissa Skolnick. Lauren has a background in nonprofit management,
marketing, government relations, and community planning and a law degree from Fordham
University School of Law. She creates and oversees the BID's programs, and works with the
Board to guide the direction of organization.
The Program Coordinator spent half of her time until the program was completed on January 31,
2013 managing and executing the BID's Restore Church Avenue program which reimbursed
property owners and merchants for up to 75% of their eligible costs in renovating their
storefronts. Once the program wrapped up, she shifted half of her time to general BID duties,
such as conditions monitoring, outreach, and publicity for BID events and merchants. She spent
the other half of her time implementing the From Roti to Rhubarb Placemaking program, funded
by AvenueNYC, to market restaurants and food stores along Church Avenue, as well as
increasing the online presence of select merchants in the BID.
The BID supplements its staff by recruiting interns from Pratt's urban planning program and
other sources. We focus on bringing on interns with a genuine interest in expanding their
knowledge and gaining hands-on experience in nonprofit work, business development and
marketing, urban planning, and outreach.
BID staff supplemented their hands-on knowledge by attending the following workshops and
forums: Public Advocate de Blasio Discussion on Economic Growth (NYU Wagner School),
Yelp Small Business Workshop (Downtown Brooklyn Partnership), Bringing Vacant Spaces to
Life (SBS), Retail Leasing/Business Attraction (SBS), Democratic Mayoral Forum on Small
Business (Brooklyn Chamber of Commerce), BID Governance (SBS), and Brooklyn Borough
Hall’s Caribbean Day (Brooklyn Borough President).
Board of
Directors
Executive
Director
Program
Coordinator
B. Board of Directors
See attached spreadsheet.
C. Staff Compensation
See attached spreadsheet.
SECTION V. ADDITIONAL MATERIAL
See attachments.
Intern