A Business Improvement District (BID) is a defined geographic area in which property owners agree to pay a special tax in order to pay for supplemental services not provided by city government.
The property owners determine the types of services they want and the means for their delivery. Residential properties, churches, embassies, and other non-profit organizations are usually excluded from the special tax, but they derive indirect benefits from a BID. Typically, the services focus on cleaning and security issues for the first couple years while other services can include streetscape enhancements and improvements, maintenance, marketing and promotional programs. The origins of a BID were developed in New York City. The idea was to improve the overall quality of urban commercial areas.