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Hearing to be held for the creation of an Italian Market Business Improvement District

Taylor Farnsworth , , min read

The Italian Market has a rich history as the oldest continually operated outdoor market in the country, with 100 years in South Philly.

Italian Market

To make the market a better space, the creation of a Business Improvement has been discussed. In 2015, a number of public meetings were held to gauge community interest and create a plan for this BID that would allow for cleaning services, security improvements, more events and other changes to the area. Councilman Mark Squilla has now introduced a resolution to authorize a hearing to be held for the creation of this BID.

From Philly Mag:

Now that the resolution has been introduced, state law requires all property owners within the proposed boundaries to be notified and supplied with the preliminary plan. (The proposed boundaries stretch roughly from Fitzwater to Ellsworth and 8th to 10th, widening by a block on either side at Christian Street and Washington Avenue.) After Council holds a public hearing on the resolution, probably in the fall, property owners will have an opportunity to vote. If more than 51 percent of property owners in the proposed boundaries vote against it, the BID can’t move forward. And according to the terms of an amended state law, signed by Gov. Tom Wolf in May, the BID can also be killed by just one-third of affected property owners, meaning those commercial buildings that would pay the extra assessment.

Squilla told Philly Mag that he’s “not certain there’s enough support for the 9th Street BID, but he is confident that there’s been plenty of outreach.” The money for the BID would be collected from the area businesses, which need to pay a set annual fee depending on their property’s value. You can read this rundown of the costs and improvements that this could include from the plans shared earlier this year. 
In addition to the Italian Market, South Broad Street is currently discussing the creation of a BID. Fundraising efforts and preliminary plans are currently in the works for the project from the South Broad Street Neighborhood Association.

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