Is Carytown Richmond’s next business improvement district?

RICHMOND, Va. (WRIC) — Change is coming to Carytown after Richmond City Council approved a consultant to help make the area a Business Improvement District, or BID.

Kamran Shaikh, owner of T-Shirt Studio and President of the Carytown Merchant Association (CMA), has been a strong advocate for the BID.

“If you’re doing business in this district, you have to pay into it [with] a membership fee,” Shaikh said. “This fee is then used for necessary improvements within the district.”

For Carytown, this means funding for street cleaning, enhanced pedestrian and traffic safety and overall beautification.

Fifth District City Councilwoman Stephanie Lynch said she supports the BID, emphasizing its benefits for local businesses.

“Carytown is a thriving business district, retail district on its own,” Lynch said. “And these are small businesses folks, these are the merchants that do not have extra bandwidth or time.”

Lynch said this is why the go ahead for a consultant was necessary, the consultant will meet with each business owner to form a comprehensive budget plan that works for everyone.

“This is not to cover things that the city is already obligated to provide,” Lynch said. “This is really that above and beyond kind of special services beautification that really enhances the area for everyone.”

Shaikh said he is most excited about the unity it’ll bring to businesses in Carytown, as only about 80 of the neighborhood’s businesses pay dues for a similar fund under the CMA.

“Everybody has to be part of it,” he said. “The rest of the 120 or 150 businesses, they are not paying into it but… They’re benefiting from the cleanliness of it, security of it, upkeep of it… But they are not required.”

Under the BID, each business will be required to contribute to the fund to beautify Carytown.

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