James Riso
Bayside Village Business Improvement District
Bayside
COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT: James Riso is the first president of the Bayside Village Business Improvement District (BID) on Bell Boulevard. “Basically, the city assesses all the landowners within that district and the money is used to improve that district,” he said. “It enables us to now, as a united front, approach the city for certain grants to do future improvements, like beautification.” The BID, one of only 60 such organizations in New York City, funds projects such as hiring a private sanitation company, doing extra cleaning and graffiti removal, and installing holiday lights.
PERSONAL: Riso, 44, and his wife, Johanna, got married about three years ago and moved to the West Village in Manhattan. “We plan on probably coming back to Queens when we have kids one day,” said Riso, who grew up in Bayside.
JOB: As The Briarwood Organization’s Senior Project Manager, he feels well prepared to serve local landowners. The real estate company has been “a presence since the 1960s on Bell Boulevard,” where they own four commercial buildings. “We understand the problems that face the commercial landlord because we are one.” He is also a member of the Bayside Business Association. “I am able to become the face of Bell Boulevard. People have a place to go to now, if they have any suggestions on how to better the district. They can come to me and we can see about getting it done.”
BIGGEST CHALLENGE: “The biggest challenge was getting it off the ground,” Riso said of the “brand new” BID. “The hardest part was forming the steering committee and getting the other landlords on board,” he said, adding that the BID could only form when 60 percent of landlords complied. “I had to explain to them what the benefits were of agreeing to this self-imposed assessment, which is $15 a foot based on the store frontage. A typical store on Bell is 20 feet…$300 a year for all those benefits. It’s cheap,” said Riso. “Your streets swept by a private sanitation company, holiday lights in front of your store, marketing, a board of directors working for you and trying to get grants … I think it’s well worth it.” He summed up: “Setting it up is the hardest part. Once it’s set up, it should theoretically run itself - although nothing really runs itself.”
INSPIRATION: “Why am I doing this? To give back,” said Riso. “I’ve been in Bayside all these years. I like to be involved in my own interests. Why have other people making decisions that are gonna affect my life and my business? I like to know what’s going on while the decisions are being made. I don’t want to find out second- or third-hand.”
PROUDEST MOMENT: After reflecting for a moment, Riso said, “My proudest moment was getting married at 41-years-old.”
- Marianna Nash
