Establishing A BID
Communities are authorized to establish BIDs under M.G.L. Chapter 40O. A BID must be a contiguous geographic area in which at least 75% of the land is zoned or used for commercial, retail, industrial or mixed uses. A BID is established through a local petition and public hearing process. The petition must be signed by the owners of at least 60% of the real property and at least 51% of the assessed valuation of the real property within the proposed BID. The petition must also include delineation of the BID boundaries, a proposed improvement plan, budget and assessment/fee structure.
Eligible Activities
A BID is authorized to perform a wide variety of management, administrative, marketing and economic development activities, including:
District Management - management entity with staff
Maintenance - street cleaning, snow removal, litter & graffiti removal, washing sidewalks, tourist guides
Promotion and Marketing - identification of market niche, special events, brochures, advertising, newsletters
Business Services - business recruitment and retention, sign & façade programs
Capital/Physical Improvements - streetscape improvements, management of parking garage, maintaining parking shelters, historic preservation
Additional Program Information
EOED will provide technical assistance to communities considering the establishment of a BID in order to support their downtown revitalization activities and to ensure compliance with statutory requirements. The BID petition must be forwarded by the municipality to EOED.