District Report2020

LETTERBY THE NUMBERSRIBBON CUTTINGTHE SWEAT SESSIONSHARVEST FESTCOMMUNITY CONCERTVERY MERRYMEATPACKING MOMENTSMURALSFLOWER FLASHMEATPACKING UNPACKEDSOCIAL MEDIABUDGETLEADERSHIP

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Table ofContents

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District Report

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Dear Neighbor,It’s safe to say we’re all ready for change right now. That desire to go back to work is real, we’re ready to see each other, ready to return to our neighborhood and ready to rid ourselves of the, “You’re on mute” Zoom chorus and bad lighting in favor of in-person connections, clinking of glasses, and side conversations, too. Most of all, we’re ready for New York to safely come back to being the place we know it to be: a city with boundless energy bustling with purpose-driven people heading to work, to shop, to eat or to play.

Taking a look back, 2019 was a noteworthy year for the Meatpacking District. Last summer we proudly cut the ribbon on our long-awaited plazas. The red umbrellas, tables, and chairs marked a much anticipated return to the busy public square spread across 30,000 square feet. The planters buzzed with bees and birds, and 14th Street received an upgrade of new planters and trees, too, extending the design vocabulary of the district by Ken Smith Workshop.

Gansevoort Plaza became a stage for a fabulous jazz concert on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Harvest Fest was a success and brought with it new programs for kids and furry friends. Shoppers made rounds during Very Merry and we partied Meatpacking-style at Helen’s for our holiday party.

We had a very different 2020 in mind. While we have hit “pause” on some programming, we did find ways to share special community moments. When stores were forced to close, some of them boarded up their windows. We worked with Theresa Rivera to bring murals to five storefronts in the district, bringing public art to a suddenly shuttered neighborhood.

During the first two months of the pandemic, the BID team focused on bringing the district to people digitally so our followers could continue having regular Meatpacking Moments. We also launched our new thought leadership series, Meatpacking Unpacked: Community Connected, featuring weekly conversations streamed live on YouTube with cultural, business and political representatives from both the district and city-wide. One day, we’ll be hosting this event in venues around the district for in-person conversations.

Most recently, we partnered with our friends at LEAF Festival of Flowers to bring a #flowerflash by Lewis Miller Design to Gansevoort Plaza. Dubbed a Love Letter to New York, the colorful installation served as a show of gratitude to the city’s perseverance and strength in a time of so much uncertainty while yearning for change.

The Meatpacking District is primed for a striking return. By putting the safety and success of people first, we believe everyone will prosper. Together we’ll reimagine what the district can look like. Our wide streets, sidewalks, and plazas lend themselves to more space for outside dining and the use of the streets for people and potentially shopping, not just for cars. Business will change and with it, our neighborhood will lead the trend, as it always has. New York will be rediscovering itself before anyone else gets a flavor of our town again. The Meatpacking District is happy to have and offer it all.

Wear a mask and let’s keep going.

Jeffrey C. LeFrancoisExecutive Director

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District Report

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By TheNumbers

District Info

District Services**

Block FacesStorefrontsHotel Rooms Residential PopulationHouseholdsEmploymentFood HallsCoffee ShopsCultural Institutions Community BoardsNYPD Police Precincts

Trash ReceptaclesPlantersTree PitsTotal Garbage Bags Used Graffiti RemovalsPower WashingsDaytime InteractionsDistinct Number of Meatpackingny Wifi Users

942451,054 7,1413,89626,0002142 2 + 46 + 10

1027825339,5442,214177,436

197,830

STATS AND INFORMATION

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District Report

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By TheNumbersSTATS AND INFORMATION

*Provided by the MTA - New York City Transit**July 2019 through April 2020*** Sam Schwartz, 14th Street Transit & Truck Priority Pilot Project - Preliminary Report, Fall 2019

Transit Ridership*

Annual Ridership:Average Weekday Ridership: Average Weekend Ridership:

Average weekday ridership: 31,461Average weekend ridership: 26,360

Bus Stops:Citibike Stations:Citibike Docks:

14th Street - 8th Avenue

M14A/D Select Bus Service***

14,324,67044,03157,748

31,46126,360

105247

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District Report

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After a seven-year transformation, the Meatpacking District officially celebrated the re-opening of over 20,000 square feet of public plazas, a new bike lane on Ninth Avenue, upwards of 30 trees, and 2,600 shrubs and perennials across large garden-like planters to the neighborhood. The Landmarks Preservation Commission-approved reconstruction also included cosmetic enhancements, extensive upgrading to infrastructure: repaired and replaced water mains, catch basins, sidewalks and streets.

The project was designed by award-winning landscape architecture firm Ken Smith Workshop, managed by the Department of Transportation and executed by the city’s Department of Design and Construction. It was made possible with approximately $20M of funding provided by New York City, New York State, and the Federal Government.

RibbonCuttingCAPITAL IMPROVEMENT

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District Report

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OUTDOOR FITNESS SERIES

2019

The

Sw

eat S

essio

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The popular outdoor fitness series returned to Hudson River Park’s 14th Street Park and welcomed 3,800 people. Top studios and brands such as 305 Fitness, Dancebody, Barre3, Lululemon, and Liftonic taught free 45-minute classes nearly every Tuesday night from May through September. Modalities included HIIT, barre, yoga, pilates, meditation, strength training, and more. Post sweat, attendees headed to Samsung 837, lululemon, Marcus, Madewell and Chelsea Market for complimentary sips and bites. New in 2019, The Sweat Sessions hosted a panel to end the season with community and industry notables at Samsung 837.

Media Placements included Glossy, AM New York, and Refinery 29.

Hudson River Park’s 14th Street Park10th Avenue between 14th and 15th Street#thesweatsessions@meatpackingny

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HarvestFest

ARTISANAL MARKET + SEASONAL FAIR

The 7th Annual Harvest Fest, an outdoor artisanal market and seasonal festival, held on October 12, brought over 8k visitors to the neighborhood. Free and open to the public, this beloved fair brings together purveyors and brands to sample, sell, and showcase unique foods and crafts.

Harvest Fest continues to provide an occasion for families and children to experience and be exposed to the best of the district while spending quality time outdoors.

The 2019 festival featured art, music, and fun free activities which included a Lord Jameson dog costume contest, Drag Queen Story Hour, a Himalayan dog blessing ceremony with the Rubin Museum, and much more.

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Community ConcertCornelia Street Cafe, the beloved and famed Village performance cafe, closed in 2018, but was brought to life on Gansevoort Plaza on a sunny Sunday afternoon, thanks to support from Aurora Capital and William Gottlieb Real Estate. Cornelia in Exile x Meatpacking was a free, four hour concert hosted by Cornelia Cafe founder Robin Hirsch. It brought to the district some of the cafe’s most famous performers, including legendary pianist David Amrand, Afro-Cuban jazz master Arturo O’Farrill, a towering jazz band on stilts, and a slew of poets and performers from across the city.

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Meatpacking retailers gave shoppers the shopping experience of the season to refresh their wardrobes. Very Merry, on December 12, activated the whole neighborhood. World-renowned brands, including DVF, Alice + Olivia, and Theory, popular shops like Columbia Sportswear, Eberjey, and Caudalie, and district favorites such as Chelsea Market Baskets, Artists & Fleas, Seed + Mill, and Lilla P, participated to create a district-wide shopping extravaganza.

Attendees sipped on complimentary beverages and enjoyed snacks, free activities, raffles, and more as they shopped with discounts up to 40% off. Locals came out to explore the district, spend dollars, and experience unique in-store activations.

Media coverage in Chelsea Now/ The Villager, Guest of the Guest, + more.

Very MerryWINTER

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DIGITAL PROGR AMMING

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king

Mom

ents

In light of COVID-19, the BID pivoted to bringing the district to people digitally. 20+ businesses and organizations engaged to develop and share content ranging from fitness classes, candle making, cooking tutorials, and more. Participating businesses include Arhaus, Artists & Fleas, Drag Queen Story Hour, Kobrick, Liftonic, lululemon, Bagatelle, Neighborhood Goods, Rubin Museum, Seed + Mill, TAO, Three Owls Market, and Y7 Studio.

10 - 13 programs/week hosted on IG Live/Stories75+ hours of programmingAvg. 445 viewers* per IG Live

*Includes the number of people who interacted with the content over a 24 hour period.

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MuralsWhen New York hit PAUSE and non-essential businesses were forced to close, the city experienced a sudden wave of retailers boarding up their storefronts. We saw this as an opportunity to make lemonade from lemons. The BID recruited local artist Theresa Rivera to cover boarded store fronts with bright, Calder-Matisse inspired murals. A common thread was installed on the stores that boarded up bringing an artistic bright spot in a suddenly shuttered neighborhood. The murals garnered significant media attention, including broadcast coverage on CBS and ABC, as well as notable stories in WWD and Architectural Digest. The program reinvigorated the local community, served as a bright spot in the news cycle and inspired other murals citywide.

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It has been a rough several months for New York City. On Tuesday, June 16, the BID partnered with LEAF Festival of Flowers and renowned #flowerflash designer Lewis Miller Design to install a “Love Letter to New York City.” The “I <3 NY” display included over 8,000 flowers and lived for a day on Gansevoort Plaza.

It was a small but bright nod to the city, a thanks to our frontline workers, and a showing of solidarity with those standing up for what is right.

Flower Flash

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THOUGHT LEADERSHIP SERIES

Meatpacking Unpacked: Community Connected is a weekly YouTube program featuring guests each week from across the district and NYC’s cultural, political, and business landscape, hosted by Jeffrey LeFrancois, Executive Director of the BID. The 30-minute conversation allows the guest to introduce themselves, talk about what they do, field their thoughts about the Meatpacking District and the city, how it relates to what they do and unpack a bit of personality.

Gale Brewer

Jonnel Doris

Jerika Richardson

Jerry Nadler

Glennda Testone

Manhattan Borough President

NYC Small Business

Services Commissioner

Special Advisor to CCRB

Board U.S. Congressman

Executive Director of the

LGBTQ Center

PAST GUESTS INCLUDE:

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Facebook- 20.5k FollowersTwitter- 6.9k FollowersInstagram- 47.4kFollowersWeekly / Biweekly Newsletter - 31k Subscribers

SOCIAL REACH AS OF MAY 2020

Social Footprint@meatpackingny

Social Media

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District Report

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BudgetFY21 Expense BudgetJuly 2020 - June 2021

FY20 Expense BudgetJuly 2019 - June 2020

The Meatpacking District Management Association’s Board of Directors approved an assessment of $2.39 million for FY2021 and allocated the funds per the above. The FY2021 budget estimates $2.71 million in revenue and $2.98 million in expenses.

The FY20 budget was based on $2.39 million dollars of assessment. FY20 closes on June 30, and actual expenditures as compared to the budget will be calculated at that time.

General + AdministrativePublic RealmMarketing + Neighborhood Consultant Services

General + AdministrativePublic RealmCapital MaintenanceMarketing + Neighborhood Wifi

937,0001,165,000690,000197,000

650,0001,371,000150,000625,000103,000

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District Report

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LeadershipBID Board of Directors

Jonathan IgerCliff MeilmanWilliam FloydThomas NakiosJared EpsteinMichael AchenbaumGail BeltroneNeil BenderJane CareyPierre Antoine DourneauDoug EisenbergJake ElghanayanGreg GusheeJeffrey JonesGary KlineLuisella MeloniPaul PariserBrad PascarellaDonna RafteryAndrew RosenMazdack RassiKevin RockeyStuart RomanoffAndrea SackerFrederica SigelJohn Wilson

IAAC Reps: Cheryl Kupper

Sage Realty, PresidentMeilman Family Real Estate, First Vice Chair

Google, Second Vice ChairLilla P/ Leo + Sage, Treasurer

Aurora Capital Associates, SecretaryGansevoort Hotel Group

The High LineWilliam Gottlieb Real Estate

Whitney MuseumSoho House

Meatpacking, LLCTF Cornerstone

RelatedLittle West 12th Street Realty

CECODVF

Taconic Investment PartnersCommunity Board 4

ResidentTheory

Milk StudiosThe Standard

Romanoff EquitiesResident

Community Board 2Jamestown

2020 BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF

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District Report

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Leadership2020 BOARD MEMBERS AND STAFF

Government Officials

Staff

Scott M. StringerGale BrewerCorey Johnson

Jeffrey LeFrancoisTiffany GriffinCate RoepkeEvan SweetJulia Bailey

Executive DirectorDirector of Marketing, Events, and Partnerships

Digital Media + Community Engagement ManagerOperations + Economic Development Manager

Events + Program Coordinator

Honorable Bill de Blasio, Mayor(Represented by Zach Owens, NYC Department of Small Business Services)

City ComptrollerManhattan Borough President

Councilman + Council Speaker, District 3

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District Report

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