What Everyone Has Been Saying...

Not too much time to blog today as I'm getting ready to leave the lovely NC Coast for a fellow Pi Phi Alumna, Ginny Pollock's, wedding in Kinston & Goldsboro, but I wanted to share this information from the weekly City of Raleigh eNewsgram. It's about developing Hillsborough Street to reclaim it's missing glory of what it once was as a great place to do business and interact with others.

This is a must-read for those interested in the Hillsborough Street area and NCSU in general. I encourage everyone to keep their eyes on this area and do what you can to visit and shop with the businesses already there [Red Hot & Blue, East Village Bar & Grill, Tough Love boutique (website still under development... I'll post her MySpace link when I get back to Raleigh), and LocoPops are some of my favorites]!

"CITY EXPLORES BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT FOR HILLSBOROUGH STREET

Working with neighborhood residents, business owners and other property owners, the City of Raleigh is studying the establishment of a business improvement district (BID) along Hillsborough Street. The BID would help revitalize areas along Hillsborough Street.
This week, the City sent notices to property and business owners in the proposed BID, as required by state law. The notices contain basic information about BIDs, including answers to frequently asked questions about BIDs, an explanation of the BID process, and the boundary area for the proposed Hillsborough Street BID. The Hillsborough Street BID would run east-to-west along Hillsborough Street from St. Mary’s School to Meredith College. The BID’s southern boundary would follow the railroad right-of-way that crosses the N.C. State University campus. The northern boundary is generally areas one block north of Hillsborough Street. The proposed BID contains 121 acres of land and more than 2.5 million square feet of built space. BIDs are a funding mechanism used to provide revenue for a variety of services that enhance existing municipal services in the business improvement district. Additional revenue collected from special assessments on property owners in a BID are used for maintenance, business recruitment, advocacy, management, marketing, security and other services.

The City of Raleigh currently has a BID in the downtown area. The special assessments levied on property owners in the downtown BID are used to pay for additional cleaning and safety patrol services, and for downtown economic development, marketing and advocacy programs administered by the Downtown Raleigh Alliance.

Leading the City’s Hillsborough Street BID Formation Study is a volunteer steering committee which consists of Hillsborough Street property owners and others with an interest in the area. The City hired Downtown Professionals Network to manage the study. Additionally, the Hillsborough Street Partnership, founded in 2000, brings together representatives from the City, N.C. State, the business community and residents in surrounding neighborhoods to develop a vision for revitalizing the Hillsborough Street area. More than $30 million in private and public investment are planned for the area.

When it completes its study, the Hillsborough Street BID Formation Study Steering Committee will forward a report to the City Council for its consideration. Before any final action is taken, a public hearing will be held on the proposed BID. The City plans to send a second notice to property and business owners in the proposed BID that will include information about the public hearing, the proposed assessment rate for the BID and proposed services that would be provided in the BID.

For more information about the BID study, visit http://www.hillsboroughbid.com/ or contact Kristopher Larson with the City of Raleigh Department of City Planning, 807-5220."Almost forgot: Check out www.hillsboroughstreet.org for information on the Hillsborough Street Partnership!