RETAIL CORRIDORS OF
SOUTHERN WASHINGTON HEIGHTS

The Community League of West 159th Street, Inc.

Objectives

The primary mission of The Community League of West 159th St., Inc. is to provide services for the youth and tenants of Washington Heights, Manhattan. In recent years, however, it has become progressively more involved in the economic development of the community. In the Spring of 1996 the League initiated the ground work for establishing a Business Improvement District (BID) to carry out the commercial revitalization of Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue in Southern Washington Heights (between 155th and 170th Streets). To assist in the development of a BID application for the New York City Department of Business Services, the League contracted UTAP--with the support of the Enterprise Foundation--to undertake a comprehensive assessment of the demographic, physical and retail characteristics and prepare a retail inventory of the retail corridors and the immediate surroundings.

Context

Similar to many working-class neighborhoods in Manhattan, immigration and migration of new ethnic groups dominate population trends of the Southern Heights. Since the 1970s, however, the growth of the Dominican population within an established older African-American community in the Heights has produced a neighborhood like no other in New York. This situation has made possible the recent emergence of a unique neighborhood economy sustained by a number of small businesses specifically catering to the strong, local, cultural market, as well as to the larger consumer market. Like the character of the neighborhood as a whole, the retail corridors of Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue are heavily influenced by the recent cultural and economic changes of the area's population. And, as much as demography has influenced the social and physical environment of the area, the built environment has effectively shaped commercial activity on Broadway and Amsterdam Avenue.

Findings & Recommendations

• There is an abundance of discount retailers that operate from small, densely-packed outlets and cater to the local market. Consumer needs are often served by several stores selling the same or similar goods and services, however, a few large stores provide a variety of goods and services in one location. While Food Stores and Personal Services are well-represented, other types of retail appear to be lacking: department stores, book stores and music stores have relatively small representations; variety among eating places is not extensive; and cinemas and brand-name clothing stores are non-existent.
  
• Comparatively, the larger size and mixed-use nature of buildings on Broadway is directly linked to that corridor's heavier pedestrian traffic and concentration of retail, and to the greater need for litter control and sidewalk maintenance. The physical nature of Amsterdam Avenue, on the contrary, is characterized in places by smaller, old-law tenements--many of which do not have ground floor retail outlets. A connection was also made between the built environment and physical conditions: higher levels of deteriorated buildings (smaller buildings are costlier to maintain); less pedestrian traffic; and a fewer number stores.
  
• An important consideration in the development of a BID program is the level of support property owners and commercial activity can give to sustaining such an organization.
  
• Broadway's physical condition and its stronger retail presence make that corridor a more likely candidate for a BID.
  
• Smaller properties and less retail activity on Amsterdam Avenue, on the other hand, forces the reconsideration of the proposed BID boundaries. While the tax-base and retail revenues may be sufficient on Broadway to support a BID, a less expensive merchants' association may be an appropriate consideration in an overall commercial revitalization strategy.
  
• UTAP has provided additional support to The League's commerical revitalization effort through preparation assistance during the BID application process and by arranging for Americorps Volunteers from Community Impact of Columbia Unversity to conduct an opinion survey of local merchants.

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