Bay Ridge's Hyperlocal Progressive Podcast
Storefronts, Business Improvement Districts, boycotts, and other things that affect the economic well-being of Bay Ridge.
You may have seen the signs on 3rd Avenue, but what do they mean? Who’s behind the BID (Business Improvement District), and why do people oppose it? In truth, it’s about two competing visions for the future of 3rd Avenue… and Bay Ridge as a whole.
The stores are closing! The Avenues are vacant! Or are they? Today, we’re talking Storefront Vacancy rates.
Join us as co-host Erik interviews our other co-host Dan, who has been walking around the neighborhood since January collecting some hyper-local data about our commercial vacancy rates. We’ll learn what can lead us to think that there is a vacancy “crisis”, what the actual numbers are, and how we can begin to move away from a narrative that centers the concerns of property owners and get back toward the concerns of mom-and-pop merchants.
Our first deep-dive into the reality behind Bay Ridge’s supposed “Vacancy crisis”. It’s a result of nearly eight months of on-the-ground surveys conducted by the podcast team.
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Bay Ridge is lucky to have three major commercial avenues acting as an economic lifeblood to the community. Amanda Zenteno is the Executive Director of the 5th Avenue Business Improvement District, which focuses on keeping our Avenues healthy and vibrant.
Participatory Budgeting is here, newly brought to Bay Ridge by Councilman Justin Brannan. It gives residents a chance to suggest, and vote on, how to spend $1 million of City Council funds! Learn how to get involved in this experiment in local democracy.