125th Street: The Energy and Spirit of Harlem through
  Culture, History, Shopping, Music, and Entertainment.
APRIL 2014 NEWSLETTER
Spring is Here!
 
Spring is finally here and the BID Sanitation Team has been in overdrive making sure the district is in excellent condition. 

This month the team focused on graffiti removal from the street furniture, cleaning of stainless steel benches and trash receptacles, preparation  for painting of street furniture, and finally, the painting of kiosks and U.S.P. boxes.  
HEALTH 
Acupuncture comes to 125!
The BID would like to welcome our new business, Harlem Chi Community Acupuncture, to the district and community! 

Located at 360 West 125th Street, 2nd Floor (between St. Nicholas Avenue and Morningside Ave), this business is a "community-style acupuncture clinic offering affordable Acupuncture and Traditional Chinese Medicine

in a tranquil and relaxing open space." 

 

Acupuncture is used to treat Chronic/Acute Pain, Digestive Disorders, Neurological Disorders, Upper Respiratory Disorders, Urinary & Reproductive Disorders, Immune Function Support, Stress, and Preventative Health."

 
Need more information? Visit www.harlemchi.com or call 212.280.7900. 
Member Highlight
April is National Minority Health Month, a commemorative month to raise awareness about the health disparities that continue to affect racial and ethnic minorities. In acknowledgement of this, we are recognizing  125th Street organization, Harlem Independent Living Center.(HILC) a non-residential community organization dedicated to assisting  the communities of people with disabilities in achieving optimal independence through culturally and linguistically appropriate services by advocating, educating, empowering and being a community change catalyst." 
 
Established 1991, HILC has on 125th Street over 20 years providing this valuable service to the community.  Click here for more info

Financial Literacy Month 

"April is the official Financial Literacy Month, and to support this concept RiteCheck has partnered with Consolidated Credit to offer free financial information to their employees and customers."
In this issue...
Growth on 125th Street
Fifth Avenue to Marginal Street

 

Managing expectations regarding growth can present some challenges:  the rent expectations of developers versus retailers' ability to pay, the value of the land, the development opportunities and the demand for upper level square footage from either residential  and office uses are a few of them. 

The backdrop for these challenges include some fundamental problems. The chart above points out three of those fundamental problems that needed to be addressed.     

 
In 2008, 125th Street was re-zoned.  Click here for the 2008 Zoning Proposal .  

Since, that time specific 

projects have been altered in response to changing economic, financial, and social conditions in our district.  The re-zoning did a couple of thing:  (1) facilitated the development of the northwest corner of 125 and the vacant lot next to the Apollo Theater that had been vacant for over 30 years; (2) Amended as a follow-up action, the ban on  sidewalk cafes along the heavily trafficked part of 125th Street (between St. Nichloas and Lenox), and amended regulations to allow large sidewalk cafes on Lenox Avenues north and south. The125th Street  sidewalk regulations thus created a restaurant row for outside dining experience.  


However, the market also tanked in 2008.  At that time, there were many projects on the drawing board.  The meltdown gave the community a chance to pause  and take a good look at how to move forward. 

 

At the BID's 2012 annual meeting stakeholders and government reps discussed their thoughts about development on 125th Street with  James Ford (WPIX reporter).  Hear Edwin Marshall, Scott Auster, Dr. Joseph Tait, Drew Greenwald, Daniel Ferve, Steve Williams, Curtis Archer, Edward Lewis, Seth Pensky (former head of EDC) Thomas Lunke, and  Blondel Pinnock present their thoughts on opportunities and  future goals. Click here to view: Building an Innovative District
 

So Where Are We Today?

  • The development activities are moving to a point where market participants are finding conditions suitable and sufficiently attractive to invest. 
  • 125th Street is viewed as a cool place to do business.
  • Several projects have been completed and others are in  construction.  Click here for our development overview.
    •  

With this forward movement, the BID Real Estate Development Committee has embarked on a listening tour with its property owners in the BID area as well as proposed expansion area (125th Street West of Morningside Avenue) in order to identify and prioritize requirements and needs to support these development efforts.   

 

BID Expansion Activity: West 125 on the Move
 
There is a palpable energy in this area that's conducive to our work to bring stakeholders together to connect the economic development activity West of Morningside Avenue with the Central Core on 125.
 
 
New businesses - Development site construction - Retail vacancies - Streetscape  
Download West 125 on the Move to learn more.
 
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Arts & Culture on 1-2-5
 VICKI DaSILVA 
LIGHTS UP WEST HARLEM

On Saturday April 5th, The West Harlem Art Fund collaborated with artist Vicki DaSilva who won Art Takes Times Square (2012) to create light graffiti underneath the 12 Avenue viaduct in West Harlem. 

Images below:


 
The second half of the intervention is scheduled for Saturday, May 10th and will be listed as a NYCxDesign event. 
Show Out and Coordinate! 
"125 Image of the Month" 
 
 
 Arthur Turner, a Harlemite and retired New York Department of Sanitation worker that moved to Atlanta, came back to visit 125th Street. 
Do you have an awesome 125th Street Image?
Send it to YBelcher@125thstreetbid.com
for inclusion in upcoming newsletters, weekly blasts, communications and more!
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President/CEO
Barbara Askins
Director of Operations
Anthony Baker
Communications & Social Media Manager
Ymani Belcher
Merchant Organizing Project Manager
Jennifer Silverberg
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