CONEY ISLAND — Coney Island officially has a Business Improvement District (BID).
Mayor Zohran Mamdani made the announcement with local businesses and leaders, Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso, NYC Department of Small Business Service (SBS) and the Coney Island Beautification Project at Deno’s Wonder Wheel Amusement Park on Feb. 15.
“The formation of the Coney Island Business Improvement District is about investing in the small businesses and working families who make this iconic neighborhood all year long,” Mamdani said. “By strengthening sanitation, public space and business support along Mermaid and Surf Avenues, we’re building a Coney Island where local commerce thrives, corridors are cleaner and safer, and economic opportunity is rooted in the community.”
Dennis Vourderis. Photo: NYC Mayor’s Office
The Coney Island BID will have a first-year operating budget of up to $1 million. It is expected to be operational by July and will be Brooklyn’s 24th BID. Speakers said they hope it will deliver supplemental services to strengthen small businesses around the amusement district, improve neighborhood livability, promote growth and create new public spaces.
“My family and I are very excited about this BID,” said Dennis Vourderis, vice president of Deno’s Wonder Wheel Park. “I look forward to all of the benefits that it will bring, not only to the Amusement District but also to Mermaid Avenue, which it richly deserves.”
“The most important thing that the BID will provide is consistent supplemental sanitation, which is so important,” Vourderis added. ”Services will be five days a week during the season and three days a week in the off-season. Right now, the Alliance for Coney Island is providing sanitation based on funds that we get from the grants funding cycle from our council members and local politicians, of course. BID services will be more consistent throughout the year with this funding that we’re going to generate.”
Councilmember Kayla Santosuosso. Photo: NYC Mayor’s Office
The newly formed BID will include storefronts and properties along Mermaid Avenue and Surf Avenue. Services, along with sanitation and maintenance, will include public space programming and beautification, along with district marketing and events.
“Coney Island is iconic around the world, but it’s the year-round residents and small business owners who make this neighborhood truly special,” said Santosuosso. “This new Business Improvement District means cleaner streets, stronger commercial corridors from Surf to Mermaid, and real, sustained investment in the community that Coney Islanders deserve.”
“The creation of the Coney Island Business Improvement District is the culmination of a multi-year process of research, community consultation, pilot programs and demonstrated local support,” said SBS Commissioner Dynishal Gross. “This self-sustaining entity will build on Coney Island’s global reputation as the ‘People’s Playground’ while delivering shared prosperity for the small businesses that line Mermaid and Surf Avenues. The Department of Small Business Services is proud of the role its Neighborhood Development Division played in this effort and congratulates the Alliance for Coney Island and all members of the BID steering committee.”