By Karen Barone
The purpose of BID, which is a special governmental district, is to restore and promote business activity in older, decaying downtown areas. Slated improvements include sidewalks, landscaping, lighting and pedestrian walks.
Merchants who agreed to participate in Lynbrook's BID were taxed for a period of five years, with that tax matched by the federal government. There was no cost to village residents. As the five-year limit for BID draws to a close, there are some issues that remain unresolved. Some landlords on Sunrise Highway are vocal in their opinion that the BID did not serve them.
Harry Levitt, BID president, contends that the few disgruntled landlords did not willingly participate. Those same landlords contend that they were never included in an equitable fashion. Levitt says the situation can only be summed up as a misunderstanding.
Guidelines for BID participation call for improvement plans to be submitted to the BID board, with written estimates for the work from two separate contractors. The plans are then reviewed and, if approved by BID, the district advises the landlord of the amount of funding help he or she can expect. It is the responsibility of the individual landlords to take the initiative to make improvements and to receive reimbursement.
"All the landlords have been invited to BID meetings and at one time or another, I have contacted each of them personally," said Levitt. "You have to put something in in order to get something back."
Levitt is frustrated because he worked diligently with local, county and state agencies to secure money for BID improvements. He says the unhappy landlords did not use the program to their advantage.
According to Levitt, one landlord who owns a strip of stores on the north side of Sunrise Highway had plans drawn up, received an enthusiastic response from BID and an estimate on reimbursement. Then, suddenly, the landlord abandoned the remodeling plans when his merchants convinced him that the work would interfere with their customers.
"The program has been successful," said Levitt. "The majority of downtown landlords have taken advantage of BID, without complaint."
Mario Cipriano, owner of property on the south side of Sunrise Highway, disagrees. He has a folder full of documentation detailing his issues with BID. Cipriano said he made improvements to his property totaling $22,000, for which he was reimbursed $12,500. He paid about $10,000 into the BID project, and he calculates his return on his participation in BID to be a mere $2,500.
"Big deal!" said Cipriano of the money he will be reimbursed. "I would have made more money if I put that money in the bank. They are refunding me the money I put into it, with no interest."
The biggest complaint from a handful of Sunrise Highway landlords is that they have not received the attention and esthetic benefits that Atlantic Avenue has. While that area has been the beneficiary of new facades, brick-enhanced sidewalks and new street lighting, during the five-year span of BID, Sunrise Highway has received none of those improvements.
"I want the same things that Atlantic Avenue has. No more, no less," said Cipriano.
Levitt explained that at the time money became available, Atlantic Avenue was the most in need. "There were rotten light poles and cracked sidewalks that needed immediate attention, and the plans were ready when the money became available, so the project just took off," he said.
Levitt pointed out that several buildings on Sunrise Highway are currently receiving enhancements through BID. He also said that sidewalks, both north and south of Sunrise Highway, would be done with a state grant the village has secured for just that purpose. A start date for this project could not be confirmed.
"The BID is looking to supplement that grant and provide ornamentation and streetscape within the BID district, which will include Sunrise Highway," Levitt said.
Cipriano is disappointed and definitely not impressed with the speculation that his property may finally receive the attention BID promised when the project began. "We have done everything we could with BID, and my heart was in this project," he said. "What bothers me the most is that I spent so much time on this and I still don't know what would make those few people happy."
