Area Info

Big business plans in Bronx’s Little Italy

The “Little Italy of the Bronx” may soon have its own littleRenaissance. Efforts are underway to create a Business ImprovementDistrict in Belmont that would include popular shopping and restaurantstretches like famed Arthur Ave. “There are so many positive things taking place in this neighborhood,” said Community Board 6 District Manager Ivine Galarza. “This BID would really enhance the whole area.”

The effort, which is being led by the Belmont Small
Business Association, has been in the works for two years.
The community board will hold a special hearing on the proposal at 6:30
p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 13, at the Belmont Library, 610 E. 186th St., to
get local business and community input. The board meeting also will
include an update on the redesign of the Fordham Mall Plaza.
The Belmont BID plan, which needs approval from the
community board, City Council and Mayor Bloomberg, would allow for
additional sanitation, security and marketing services.
Merchants, business owners and commercial property landlords would be
charged various fees expected to total $340,000 annually.
The BID would be home to more than 300 businesses
spread across 37 blocks bounded by Fordham Road to the north, E. 183rd
St. to the south, Lorillard Place to the west and Southern Blvd. to the
east.
More than 50 similar BIDs exist throughout the city.
“Every single one of them has brought increased shopping, increased
foot traffic, and safer and cleaner conditions for everyone,” said
Frank Franz of the Belmont Small Business Association.
One major proposal under the BID would be to expand
parking in three popular shopping districts: on Arthur Ave., 187th St.
near Beaumont Ave., and Fordham Road near Southern Blvd.
Other possible projects include steam-cleaning sidewalks, video
surveillance, facade improvements and promotional events such as street
fairs and boccie tournaments. “There are a lot of opportunities here,”
Franz said.

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