Reported by Heather Nichols for the Flatiron Hot! News
The 2017 Flatiron/23rd Street BID Annual Meeting and community reception that took place on June 8th at the Grey Group Town Hall began with an introduction by Jennifer Brown, the executive director for the Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership. She opened with a comment about the September explosion that injured 29 people. Both she and the special guest speaker, Corey Johnson, who is on the New York City Council, remarked that this explosion, while a terrible event, brought the community together in a way that was heartwarming to all who were affected. As Johnson is involved with all the BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) and all the districts in the city, it was special to see how he reacted to the community coming together to help each other heal. He witnessed the incident first hand as he was walking back to his apartment that night. On his way home he heard the explosion and immediately turned around and began running towards it. However, it was not just him that went to see if they could help. He explained that everyone else that had been on the street ran towards the explosion, as well. This meant so much to him because it showed that the community could come together to help each other.
BID Executive Director Jennifer Brown reviews year’s highlights
The meeting continued with the budget review and the nominations and election of directors. Following these events, a panel discussion took place regarding issues that face the Flatiron district. Jon Steinberg, the Founder and CEO of Cheddar, a video news network, moderated the discussion. Steinberg has also held positions at Buzzfeed and The Daily Mail. The discussion included people in the community that work in retail leasing, the restaurant business, work spaces, a fitness club turned women’s empowerment center, and affordable education. They were discussing what worked in the district and what did not throughout their individual disciplines. Santiago Gomez, the managing partner of the restaurant Cosme, remarked that one of the reasons the Flatiron District is such a popular spot for millennials is because of the affordable, healthy food options. The addition of Eataly, right down the street from the NYC Seminar and Conference Center in the district, has added to its appeal as well. They ended with a statement on what made the neighborhood special to each of their businesses. They all agreed that it is the people and the sense of community that help to make the Flatiron District a wonderful place to live and work.
Jennifer Brown made a closing presentation on the achievements of the BID since the last meeting. She mentioned the streets, public safety, public improvements and the summer series. The summer series includes Tech Tuesdays, Wellness Wednesdays, and Throwback Thursdays, all of which take place in front of the Flatiron Building. For more information on these events, go to: http://www.flatirondistrict.nyc/news-and-events/newsroom. Brown also described how proud the BID is of the public improvements that have been made, such as cleaning and embellishing the squares, free WiFi, and new lights. The beautification effort includes hanging potted plants; this program is being expanded from 44 baskets to 94. This will help the traffic corners and the streets become more appealing and encourages more foot traffic, therefore helping the local businesses. If you are looking for more information on the Flatiron District and what our BID does to improve it, please visit their website at www.flatirondistrict.nyc – for a quick recap of the meeting itself click here! And, to review the PDF Report for this year’s meeting click here!
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Highlights from the 2017 Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership Annual Meeting!
Reported by Heather Nichols for the Flatiron Hot! News
The 2017 Flatiron/23rd Street BID Annual Meeting and community reception that took place on June 8th at the Grey Group Town Hall began with an introduction by Jennifer Brown, the executive director for the Flatiron 23rd Street Partnership. She opened with a comment about the September explosion that injured 29 people. Both she and the special guest speaker, Corey Johnson, who is on the New York City Council, remarked that this explosion, while a terrible event, brought the community together in a way that was heartwarming to all who were affected. As Johnson is involved with all the BIDs (Business Improvement Districts) and all the districts in the city, it was special to see how he reacted to the community coming together to help each other heal. He witnessed the incident first hand as he was walking back to his apartment that night. On his way home he heard the explosion and immediately turned around and began running towards it. However, it was not just him that went to see if they could help. He explained that everyone else that had been on the street ran towards the explosion, as well. This meant so much to him because it showed that the community could come together to help each other.
BID Executive Director Jennifer Brown reviews year’s highlights
The meeting continued with the budget review and the nominations and election of directors. Following these events, a panel discussion took place regarding issues that face the Flatiron district. Jon Steinberg, the Founder and CEO of Cheddar, a video news network, moderated the discussion. Steinberg has also held positions at Buzzfeed and The Daily Mail. The discussion included people in the community that work in retail leasing, the restaurant business, work spaces, a fitness club turned women’s empowerment center, and affordable education. They were discussing what worked in the district and what did not throughout their individual disciplines. Santiago Gomez, the managing partner of the restaurant Cosme, remarked that one of the reasons the Flatiron District is such a popular spot for millennials is because of the affordable, healthy food options. The addition of Eataly, right down the street from the NYC Seminar and Conference Center in the district, has added to its appeal as well. They ended with a statement on what made the neighborhood special to each of their businesses. They all agreed that it is the people and the sense of community that help to make the Flatiron District a wonderful place to live and work.
Jennifer Brown made a closing presentation on the achievements of the BID since the last meeting. She mentioned the streets, public safety, public improvements and the summer series. The summer series includes Tech Tuesdays, Wellness Wednesdays, and Throwback Thursdays, all of which take place in front of the Flatiron Building. For more information on these events, go to: http://www.flatirondistrict.nyc/news-and-events/newsroom. Brown also described how proud the BID is of the public improvements that have been made, such as cleaning and embellishing the squares, free WiFi, and new lights. The beautification effort includes hanging potted plants; this program is being expanded from 44 baskets to 94. This will help the traffic corners and the streets become more appealing and encourages more foot traffic, therefore helping the local businesses. If you are looking for more information on the Flatiron District and what our BID does to improve it, please visit their website at www.flatirondistrict.nyc – for a quick recap of the meeting itself click here! And, to review the PDF Report for this year’s meeting click here!