Maspeth Pushes for Grand Avenue Business District

Community leaders are seeking a business improvement district along Grand Avenue, with a support ballot now circulating among businesses, residents and property owners.

Updated on Nov. 10, 2026 in Openings & Closings

Maspeth Pushes for Grand Avenue Business District

Live Poll

Would you support paying a special assessment for a Maspeth business improvement district?

Community leaders are pushing for a business improvement district on and just off Grand Avenue in Maspeth, Queens. A steering committee has distributed a support ballot to businesses, residents and property owners in the proposed district area.

Why it matters

The Maspeth Chamber of Commerce has seen less participation in the tasks needed to keep the avenue thriving, and supporters say a unified BID is needed to keep areas clean and secure financing. New York City has dozens of business improvement districts, and the effort in Maspeth follows an earlier attempt in the 1980s that did not succeed.

The proposed assessment has a median of $1,140 per year at starting billing, reaching a median of $1,850 at maximum billing, with starting billing in two to three years and maximum billing in six to 10 years. Assessments are based on each property's frontage and assessed value.

The players

Maspeth Chamber of Commerce

The Maspeth Chamber of Commerce is a local business organization that has seen less participation in tasks needed to keep the avenue thriving.

The details

The proposed Maspeth BID would run from 63rd Street and Flushing Avenue to 74th Street and Grand Avenue. BIDs are run by nonprofit groups with boards of directors elected by members in the district and are funded by a special assessment billed to property owners within the district. The support ballot includes rates so property owners can calculate what they would pay.

1980s: An earlier effort to form a Maspeth BID did not succeed.
1988: The Myrtle Avenue BID in Ridgewood was established.
Covid-19 pandemic period: The pandemic stalled the current Maspeth BID effort.
Nov. 14 and Nov. 21: Two tree pit cleanups are planned along the corridor from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Early next year: Public meetings on the proposed BID are expected.

Market Landscape

Maspeth's proposal follows the pattern set by the Myrtle Avenue BID in Ridgewood, which was established in 1988 as a model for pooled property-owner funding of commercial corridor services. Like the earlier Maspeth attempt in the 1980s, the current effort seeks to consolidate fragmented corridor management under one nonprofit district.

If the district is formed, property owners within the boundaries would pay a special assessment that starts at a median of $1,140 per year and rises over time. Businesses and residents along Grand Avenue could see upkeep such as cleaning and financed services funded through that assessment.

The takeaway

A business improvement district is funded by property owners within its boundaries, so the support ballot's assessment rates are the figures residents and businesses should review before deciding. Early public meetings expected next year will show how the proposal is progressing.

What happens next

Public meetings on the proposed Maspeth BID are expected early next year, and the proposal can advance to a City Council vote once enough affected parties sign the ballot.