WPCNR DOWNTOWN DAILY. By John F. Bailey. August 14, 2007: Within the next two weeks, the White Plains Downtown Business Improvement District, the “BID,” will launch a new effort to expand its boundaries to increase its budget from the present $600,000 to $1.845 Million in 2008-2009 and its membership to 110 property owners.

The new boundaries of the BID will be curtailed to exclude the West Post Road and lower Mamaroneck Avenue neighborhoods,  reports Executive Director of the BID, Rick Ammirato, reflecting the sentiments of those business and property owners to remain exclusive of the BID expressed in last spring’s polling of the affected properties. The "New BID" will include the Westchester, Crowne Plaza Hotel, the White Plains Pavilion Mall, the Galleria and the East Post Road area.

“The process starts from scratch,” Ammirato told WPCNR last week after “We’ll send out new notices to all people in the proposed changes (in the BID) are and their tenants, then we have the hearing. After the hearing closes, we have a 30-day period in which they can opt out again.”

The previous expansion plan which the BID decided to scrap after more than one-third of the businesses opted out (though if more than 51% did not opt out, the BID could have enacted the old new boundaries) proposed expanding the BID to 192 properties. Now, the new plan proposes expanding the BID to 110 properties, excluding most of West Post Road and southern Mamaroneck Avenue.

Asked if the new BID District expansion contains the major domo retailers he wanted, Ammirato said:

“From an economic development standpoint, I really wanted the entire district. Our services would have really helped southern Mamaroneck Avenue and West Post Road which were the two major areas that we have excised from the map. Those are very small business core areas. That’s our real core strength. I can understand some people feeling they are not part of the downtown and I respect that. I think we could have helped them. But, we want people in the BID who are really excited to be part of it.”

“We were going to go to the West side of South Lexington. West Post Road will now no longer be considered, and anything south of Carhart and Rutherford is not in (the new district).  222 Bloomingdale Road and Bloomingdale’s itself is not included.”

It’s the same process, we’re going to send certified mail to the property owners themselves and hand-deliver to the tenants the way we did last time. They have to send in the form the same way they did last time. Between 36% and 40% opted out last time. We’re confident we will have a much lower opt-out rate. Technically we were within our rights to ask the Council to vote (the former suggested expansion) because the previous opt-outs did not meet the (rejection) thresholds.”

By WPCNR estimate that would mean about 70 property owners of 192 turned down the BID invitation.

The notice of the hearings should be going out this week (10 days before the hearing, scheduled for September 10 Common Council meeting). An Opt-Out form will be included.  Once the Council closes the open hearing, the owners will have a 30 day period to opt out (by returning the Opt-Out form to the City Clerk Office).

The newly expanded BID would take effect in July 2008.