MA says to Newton: Why not a BID?

Last week, Newton Villages hosted Emmy Hahn of Massachusetts Downtown Initiative (MDI) for a tour of city’s village centers.  Hahn has extensive and broad experience in revitalizing downtowns:  she directed the downtown revitalization program in New Bedford, and has coordinated MDI–a statewide educational and technical assistance program to improve downtowns in Massachusetts–for several years.  She knows a lot about downtowns.

During her visit to Newton, while she toured several village centers (plus Needham Street) with a crew of Newton Villagers and others, one concept dominated all others: Business Improvement Districts (BIDs).

In a BID, property owners choose to contribute annually to a dedicated fund to improve the district.  The funds are generally used for activities such as event planning, marketing, and streetscape improvements & cleaning.  The funded work is in addition to normal services provided by the city.

Hahn explained that Hyannis, Westfield, Springfield and Northampton have the only BIDs in the state right now, but that the tool is gaining popularity fast.  Businesses in Downtown Crossing, in Boston, will likely start a BID this summer, and several other communities are close behind: two others in Boston, plus Ashland and Great Barrington, among others.

Newton Villages will be working closely with the city and local businesspeople to explore the idea of establishing one or more BIDs in Newton.

For more information on BIDs, go here.  For a comprehensive guide to implementing a BID, check out this new publication from Emmy’s office.