WPCNR’S DOWNTOWNER. By John F. Bailey. April 2, 2008: The Executive Director of the White Plains Downtown Business Improvement Association, said today a decision from the City’s Corporation Counsel Edward Dunphy on whether the retail strips of West Post Road and East Post would be included in the taxing jurisdiction of the BID would be made by the end of the month.
BID Expansion Behind Closed Doors: Dunphy Considers Mixed Opt-In Results.
Rick Ammirato the Executive Director told WPCNR “We are waiting for a decision from the city on our number of “opt-outs,”
He said that to expand the bid there were two standards, 51% of major property owners with the largest assessed values had to approve it, or 51% of all property owners had to approve.
Ammirato said that the major property owners voted overwhelmingly for it, but among all the property owners the vote was very close, almost “even”. but he would not disclose the actual spread.
WPCNR called Mr. Dunphy, to check what the legal issues were involved, and I await the barrister’s explanation.
Asked what individual businesses would pay should the Corporation Counsel decide the mixed votes would allow the expansion, Ammirato said it varied between 2 cents per square foot and 20 cents per square foot, but “pennies on the dollar on an annual basis.”
The BID expects to gain about $1 Million more in taxes from the new businesses that would be included in the BID expansion if the Corporation Counsel writes a favorable opinion.
