A group that is calling itself One Tribeca is exploring the potential for a Business Improvement District for the neighborhood — a non-profit funded by property owners that would oversee the maintenance, improvement and promotion of a local commercial district.

The group’s first step is to conduct a community survey to gauge support for the BID among residents and property owners, who would ultimately fund the BID through a tax administered by the city. That is how BIDs work: a special assessment is billed to property owners within the district, collected by the city and then redistributed to the BID.

Find the survey here.

The Friends of Bogardus Plaza, in partnership with New York Law School, secured a second $100,000 grant from the city’s Small Business Services to pay for the initial work. They won a grant last year that helped establish the Tribeca Alliance Merchants Association, a resurrection of the neighborhood’s first merchant organization founded a decade ago.

Business Improvement Districts around the city take on issues such as place management initiatives, neighborhood marketing, supplemental sanitation, beautification, business promotion and long-term economic development strategies. The Alliance for Downtown New York was founded in 1994 and serves Lower Manhattan south of Murray. The Chinatown Partnership covers roughly Broadway to Allen, Worth to Broome. Other well-known BIDs include the Grand Central Partnership, the Meatpacking District and the Hudson Square BID north of Canal up to Clarkson.

Over the next year, One Tribeca will conduct a comprehensive analysis of the neighborhood, examining its physical characteristics, stakeholder priorities, commercial corridors, public spaces and existing community organizations. The group hired consultants, Perch Advisors, to guide the process. The goal is to evaluate supplemental services, partnerships and investments that would support the business community while enhancing the neighborhood’s quality of life.

Some hot-button issues the group hopes to identify and address: storefront vacancies, graffiti, infrastructure, support for public spaces, streetscape enhancements.

The One Tribeca steering committee will initially include representatives from neighborhood institutions, commercial property owners, residential property owners, business owners and community organizations. The planning and analysis phase of the initiative is expected to continue through the summer of 2027. After that year, if the group decides to move forward with a BID, any proposed district would require extensive public review as part of the city’s BID formation process.

Residents, business owners, property owners and neighborhood organizations interested in engaging in the conversation are encouraged to contact info@onetribeca.org.

More TK as the group seeks more input from the neighborhood.