What is the BID?
The Cesar E. Chavez Business Improvement District and its surrounding neighborhoods are part of Milwaukee's historic near South Side, it boasts the city’s oldest residential area. Populated largely by immigrant Mexican workers in the 1960s and 1970s.
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Home to first-, second- and third generation immigrants; the Cesar E. Chavez area is a cross section of cultures—a “melting pot within a melting pot” that enriches residents, visitors, and the city of Milwaukee.
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The Cesar E. Chavez spirit continues to live on in 2019, Cesar E. Chavez business improvement district, a five-block business corridor of retailers and shops, unified by one simple goal: to enrich the community and its visitors through culture and commerce.
Founded in 2005, the district spans from south side of National Avenue down to the north side of Greenfield Avenue. There are 50 properties that voluntarily self-assess $500 per parcel in order to raise $25,000 in revenue to be invested in the commercial corridor. From 2018-2019, this property value increase was 3.5% (from $12.2 million to $12.6 million aggregate value).
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Today the area is home to many immigrant families and business owners. As we continue to innovate, build cultural awareness and establish the drive as a destination, it continues to be known as the “heart” of the South Side.