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Downtown Westchester readies BID reauthorization, plans parking education and food-drive support
Summary
Downtown Westchester said it will help businesses prepare for planned meter removal, launch outreach about Flowbird parking app, start BID reauthorization outreach and promote a county food-bank drive responding to a $250,000 federal cut.
John O'Brien, executive director of Downtown Westchester, told council his group will assist businesses ahead of planned changes to on-street parking and begins the business improvement district (BID) reauthorization process this summer.
"We really wanna take an active role in helping to market the change that's coming with the parking meters being removed in the downtown so we can get, well ahead to get people over to the Flowbird app," O'Brien said, describing a campaign that will include social media, flyers and outreach to merchants so customers are comfortable with the app before on-street meters are removed.
O'Brien said Downtown Westchester will produce small business-card–sized reminders for merchants to hand to patrons and will time outreach months in advance to reduce friction when the meters are removed.
O'Brien also said the BID is entering its reauthorization year: staff plan a public hearing before borough council in June and a mailed notice to all business and property owners in the district as required by state law. Under the reauthorization rules O'Brien described, property owners then have a 45-day window to remonstrate; if more than 40% of property owners object, reauthorization fails. O'Brien said the organization expects to complete the renewal process by August if the remonstrance level remains below the 40% threshold.
"We're looking to hopefully schedule a public hearing with the full borough council, in June to have public input on what our strategic plan should say," O'Brien said. He described plans to expand the BID footprint in some places to better align with the borough's town-center map while excluding parcels that are largely residential even if their land-use codes appear commercial for assessment purposes.
Other items O'Brien flagged: Downtown Westchester is promoting a food drive being run by Kildare's and 22 other restaurants to benefit the Chester County Food Bank and West Chester Food Cupboard following a $250,000 federal cut to the county food bank; the downtown group helped conduct a rail-restoration survey and will share results with the rail restoration committee; and the group plans to push for contractor cleanup of sidewalk paint used to mark utilities.
What’s next: Downtown Westchester will begin merchant-focused outreach around Flowbird and distribute BID reauthorization materials as state law requires; council will schedule the public hearing on the reauthorization process.
