The city voted this week to designate downtown New Dorp as a Business Improvement District. Councilman Steve Matteo has been working with the nearly 200 businesses for three years to make it happen. NY1's Lisa Voyticki reports.
Maria Carrozza opened up Piece A Cake Bakery on New Dorp Lane five years ago.
She says Business jumped as much as twenty percent every year...So much that she opened up a second business next door.
"We've definitely seen a lot more people come to the lane," said Carrozza.
And so have the roughly 200 other businesses on the busy strip.
But to reap the sweet benefits, they need a unified marketing plan, regular sanitation services, street beautification and capital improvements.
After three years of working with Councilman Steve Matteo and the Staten Island Economic Development Corporation - they'll finally get it.
Wednesday the council's finance committee passed legislation to create the New Dorp Business Improvement District.
"Extremely pleased it's been a long road," said Maria Esposito, who owns Norman Heil, Insurance Inc.
Esposito is also chairwoman of the New Dorp Merchants Group.
Before, the group was given limited funding from the SIEDC, Councilman Matteo and the Borough President's office.
Now - businesses will pay extra through their property taxes to create a $135,000 budget.
"First we would like to increase private sanitation to clean streets and beautification is very important to the merchants here on New Dorp Lane and I would like to increase events," added Esposito.
One of the first slices out of the budget will go to the annual food crawl that's happening in the Fall.
"People in the community love our events, and now with more money we can do even better," said Carmine DeSantis, who owns a law office on New Dorp Lane, and serves on the New Dorp Merchants steering committee.
Festivals will take up a larger part of New Dorp Lane...and the hope is that people will see all it has to offer.
"You can eat here, you can shop here, there's so many things the lane offers," said Carrozza.
Mayor de Blasio is expected to sign the legislation next month, and New Dorp businesses hope to work with the city and the SIEDC to create a board by July.