No BID in New Bedford as Organizers Withdraw Petition

NEW BEDFORD (WBSM) — The Business Improvement District proposed for downtown New Bedford will not move further after the organization behind it withdrew its petition.

In a letter to New Bedford City Councilor at Large Linda Morad, who chairs the council’s Finance Committee, Marco Li Mandri of New City America, Inc. stated the organization’s intent to withdraw its petition to be allowed to create the district.

“The participating property owners within the proposed BID are ceasing their efforts to have the plan and petition adopted by the Finance Committee and the full City Council,” Li Mandri wrote.

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The BID would have required member property owners to contribute funds through a special assessment that would then go for improvements within the district such as beautification projects, sidewalk cleaning, marketing and other services.

A previous attempt to create a BID failed in 2015, and met resistance again this time around from business owners and opponents who felt it was a "tax" and would lead to the “gentrification” of downtown.

A big reason for the BID petition withdrawal may have been a lack of support, as state law required a certain percentage of businesses within the district to sign off on the petition; in a meeting of the Finance Committee in June, Morad called into question whether the threshold had been met.

READ MORE: BID Withdrawal Letter

In a press release, Morad acknowledged receiving the letter to withdraw the petition and that it would be presented at the City Council Finance Committee meeting scheduled for Monday, July 22.

“At the meeting, the members of the Finance Committee will officially receive the request to withdraw the B.I.D. petition and the Finance Committee will take the required action to dismiss the petition,” Morad wrote. “Should the Finance Committee decide to move forward with the necessary action to allow the withdrawal and dismissal of the B.I.D. petition there will be no need for additional public input at the July 22, 2024 meeting.”

READ MORE: Councilor Morad's Release on the Withdrawn BID Petition

The release also said Morad “expressed her thanks to the members of the New City America Executive Board for their cooperation in working with members of the City Council on this complex project, to the residents and business owners who have voiced their opinions at the public meetings regarding this project and the various City of New Bedford departments that have worked diligently to review the petition and supporting paperwork.”