QUEENS — A local business organization is planning to spruce up storefronts along Sutphin Boulevard, one of the main commercial streets in the area, in hopes of attracting more shoppers.
The Sutphin Boulevard Business Improvement District announced a request for proposals Wednesday, seeking an architect to help design commercial facades.
“Right now, there is a lot of clutter and it seems visually polluted,” said Simone Price, executive director of the Sutphin Boulevard BID. “You have awnings that are in different shapes, sizes and colors. We are looking to unify the commercial corridor.”
She said a unified design would give the area “more of a professional look and it would go hand in hand with the development that is coming here.”
The area has been undergoing many changes, with new hotels, restaurants and residential buildings.
Price said that the organization also wants to make sure that business owners “like the design.” The goal, she said, is to “keep the identity and create unity.”
The BID, Price noted, is also planning other initiatives to make the area more visually attractive, such as improving the way merchandise is displayed in windows.
“Hopefully, as we improve the look of each store, people will want to shop here more,” she said.
The Sutphin Boulevard BID represents 56 properties between Hillside Avenue and 94th Avenue.
Submissions from architects are due Aug. 9.
