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In the summer of 2002, the Fashion Center Business Improvement District, contracted with Appleseed, Real Estate Solutions and Buckhurst Fish & Jacquemart to prepare "Re-modeling the Fashion Center". The report was undertaken to assist the BID in assessing the impact that current conditions and longer-term trends in employment, space utilization, and the real estate market have had on the district. The team was also asked to consider in this analysis the effect of ongoing and proposed developments around the BID. These analyses formed the basis for a strategy to help businesses and property owners in the area to take full advantage of the various opportunities presented by these trends.
The Fashion Center Business Improvement District, a not-for-profit corporation, was established in 1993 to promote New York City's apparel industry and to improve the quality of life and economic vitality of Manhattan's garment district. Through programs in the areas of streetscape improvements, sanitation and security services, marketing and promotions, economic development, and community service, the BID aims to promote the district as a strategic midtown business location and to ensure New York's position as the fashion capital of the world. The boundaries of the district, depicted in a map on page 11, roughly encompass the area from 35th to 41st Street between Fifth and Ninth Avenues. The district includes approximately 450 buildings and is home to some 6,000 businesses, both fashion and non-fashion related.
The report begins with a new vision for the Fashion District. The rationale for this vision is laid out in the sections that follow, which provide analyses of current conditions and longer-term trends in employment, space utilization and real estate market conditions in and around the BID. After this analysis, the report turns to the current zoning regulations governing the district, followed by a discussion of what might be achieved under less restrictive zoning regulations. The report then analyzes emerging trends and development projects that have potential to dramatically affect the Fashion District and considers the opportunities that could be lost if no action is taken. Finally, the report offers a set of recommendations for the BID, City and other stakeholders to undertake in order to allow the district to achieve the vision and better fulfill its economic potential.
The members of the Appleseed team would like to acknowledge the support and assistance provided throughout the course of this project by the staff of the Fashion Center BID, including Barbara Randall, Gerald Scupp, and Anne Bonacum. The team would also like to thank the BID’s Board of Directors, many of whom made themselves available to meet personally with the study team.
We would also like to thank the following people for providing valuable input for this report: Richard Barth, Eric Kober, and Aron Kirsch of the New York Department of City Planning; Florence Chan, Continental Garment Manufacturer’s Association; David Picket, Gotham Properties; David Thurm, New York Times; and Ann Weisbrod, Economic Development Corp.
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