Phil Coppage, the owner of Cynthia Bar and Bistro (502 H St. NE) is spearheading a Greater H Street BID Association (www.hstreetbid.com). He said many residents mistakenly believe H Street already has a BID.
The corridor has an H Street Main Street, which provides business support and organizes events, including the annual H Street Festival. A BID would create a separate organization funded through an assessment on commercial properties to support services such as street cleaning, landscaping, public space improvements, marketing and government relations.
Coppage said the proposed BID is being organized differently from many existing BIDs because it began with small businesses rather than large commercial property owners. Organizers are currently considering a boundary from Third Street to 15th Street NE, from the Hopscotch Bridge up to but not including the Starburst Plaza, though the boundaries could change as outreach continues.
The Greater H Street BID Association has formed a 501(c)(6) organization and a founding board that includes Atlas Performing Arts Center Executive Director Jarrod Bennett, commercial property owner and developer Gail Montplaisir, Little Miner Taco owner Kathy Voss and Adru Pescod of Cane and St. James restaurants, who serves as Treasurer. Board members include Mike Formant of Formant Property Group, Stacee Hampson Longenencker, Director of Property Management for Akrdge Properties; and Joal Mendonsa, a committee representative of ANC 6A. Coppage, who serves as President of the board, said organizers are working with an urban planner to develop an assessment model and map before beginning the petition process required to establish a BID.
Councilmember Charles Allen included $100,000 in the FY2027 budget for an H Street BID feasibility study, which the association intends to request through the Deputy Mayor for Planning and Economic Development (DMPED). The study could examine potential pilot projects and ways a BID could address issues including commercial activity, transportation, public space management, cleaning services and marketing.
A future BID budget could range from approximately $600,000 to $1 million annually. Coppage emphasized that the BID would work alongside H Street Main Street rather than compete with it, noting that successful corridors in the District often have both organizations operating together.
Advisory Neighborhood Commission (ANC) 6A was supportive of efforts to create a Business Improvement District (BID) along H Street NE, a proposal organizers say would complement rather than replace H Street Main Street.
