86th Street BID talks back to school and other big happenings

With the school year starting up again, Bay Ridge’s 86^th Street Business Improvement District (BID) is gearing up for a year of success and growth.

With new businesses opening and big ideas on the forefront, we spoke to some BID officials to get the scoop.

“It’s back to school week and we’re pleased to say that we have another major store opening, Bath and Body Works, so we’re excited about that,” said the BID’s Executive Director Patrick Condren of the new addition to the commercial strip. “We look forward to everybody coming to 86^th Street on a regular basis. It’s a back to school kind of program right now. We’ve been out and seeing a lot of folks, we’ll be planning the fall and Thanksgiving holidays, and we’ll be planning for a meeting next week.”

Started to facilitate the growth of businesses in the community, the BID, which was founded about 15 years ago according to Condren, is looking to move into the future with extensive web development and possibly even an app.

“We want to take it to that next level,” Condren said. “We’re going through the website development process and we’re probably going to do an app. We want to coordinate with stores because app developments are moving forward so much. That’ll hopefully be the beginning of this year, after Christmas.”

The BID’s President, John Gallucci, also sees the value in electronically connecting with businesses.

“We have a website,” Gallucci said. “Businesses should put information on the website. It’s very important because if [a user goes] on the website and searches a store, it’s a nice little deal. You have all of the information right there.”

Along with a full directory of businesses, the website also provides users with important contact information, travel information and other noteworthy facts.

Notably, Gallucci mentioned that the largest part of the BID’s budget goes towards street sweeping – which happens from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. seven days a week – and that the corners of 86^th Street on Fourth and Fifth Avenues will be power washed in the near future.