by Pete Mazzaccaro

Members of the Chestnut Hill Business District met on Wednesday June 13 for its annual meeting. The organization serves as an umbrella for the Chestnut Hill Business Association, Parking Foundation and Business Improvement District.

Part of the meeting was to fill board seats at the organization.

The board of the Chestnut Hill Business Association added new members Amy Edelman (Night Kitchen), Nicole Beltz (Serendipity Shops), Yosma Luby (El Quetzal), Margaret Tucker (Chestnut Grill) and Chrissy Warhola (Woodmere Art Museum). Dr. Jacob Orozco (Top of the Hill Orthodontics and Pediatric Dentistry) and Jen Miller (3000 BC) were elected to second terms on the board.

In elections to the BID board, Sanjiv Jain (Legacy Real Estate) was elected as a new member and Sandy MacEachern (Robertson's Flowers), Mike Papa (Wells Fargo Bank) and Paul Walsh (Elfant Wissahickon) were elected to new two-year terms.

The main point of interest for the meeting, however, wasthe Business District’s annual report, which was delivered by Executive Director Philip Dawson.

Dawson first noted several successes for the business district over the past year. While Dawson touched on nearly every aspect of the organization’s operations, from its gains in social media marketing to its efforts to beautify the avenue through tree planting and lighting, he noted several gains for what business owners care most about: increased foot traffic.

Chief among those efforts is Holidays on the Hill. The multi-week marketing and events effort between Thanksgiving and Christmas was a success last year. Chestnut Hill was named the #1 shopping destination by USA Today. The avenue was visited by 22,000 shoppers the week before Christmas.

Another noted success has been the First Wednesdays, a monthly event in which many Avenue businesses keep later hours, offer specials and offer free street entertainment. The district monitored shopper response to First Wednesdays and found that they attracted between 200 and 300 percent more shoppers than the average Wednesday Night.

There were more accomplishments. The Business Association added 17 new members. The Business Improvement District secured an $15,000 grant from the Pennsylvania Department of Commerce and Economic Development for crosswalk restriping. Retail Recruiter Cathie Meadows was recognized for helping 25 new businesses open in Chestnut Hill since she started work in 2015. All were crucial to growth for Chestnut Hill, Dawson said.

“We are proud of all of the accomplishments cited here, and I would maintain that they each played a vital role in our success over the past fiscal year,” Dawson told the Local. “The combination of a growing CHBA membership, new business openings, and an expanded local following are encouraging indicators of Chestnut Hill's health and growth as a business district.”

In discussing goals for the future, Dawson said the district will continue to work on increasing foot traffic through strengthening events and continuing to commit to First Wednesdays. The organization will also work to do more for its members and will also continue to expand beautification efforts.

One new program in the works is a Green recognition for businesses that meet a yet-to-be determined set of criteria. Dawson said that initiate would be launched soon.

In keeping with things that are green, Dawson concluded the organizations goals by discussing the efforts of the Business Improvement District to keep Chestnut Hill looking good, through cleaning, landscaping and other efforts. But it is more than just cleaning and planting flowers. The District has plans to improve signage throughout the neighborhood, with special attention paid to signage at entry points to the neighborhood and is working with the city on improvements to Germantown Avenue among other things.

“These activities are critical to maintaining the unique character of Chestnut Hill, providing a high level of service to our contributing property owners, and expanding the business district's appeal to shoppers in an age of experiential retail,” Dawson said of BID efforts. “By supporting a clean, safe, and beautiful commercial area, the BID makes Chestnut Hill ever more desirable as a place to live and do business.