City of Edmonds Business Improvement District Gains Momentum

Committee working on creating a Business Improvement District for Edmonds, WA, has reached its goal of 50% of signatures needed and is on track to submit a petition to the city council in January, 2012.
By: David Arista, Arista Wine Cellars
 
July 25, 2011 - PRLog -- (Edmonds WA, July 25, 2011) – The committee working to establish a Business Improvement District (BID) for Downtown Edmonds announced today that it has reached fifty percent of the signatures needed before the Edmonds City Council can create a BID.

In meeting its June 30 goal, the BID committee, chaired by David Arista of Arista Wine Cellars, remains on target to present the required number of signatures to the City Council by January of 2012.

“Signing the petition to create a Downtown BID has been an easy choice for most people,” Arista said of the business owners his committee has approached so far. “It’s a small investment—anywhere from $10 to $50 per month—and the BID will be able to accomplish so much more than an individual business could do on its own.”

Business Improvement Districts are designed to aid general economic development and to facilitate merchant and general business cooperation. A BID is a local funding mechanism that allows businesses within a defined area to establish a special assessment district.

Funds raised can be used by the BID to provide services, management, facilities and programs to the district. In this case, the proposed BID includes an area of Edmonds bordered by Bell Street on the north, Durbin Street on the east, Homeland Drive on the south and Railroad Avenue North on the west.

Thousands of successful BIDs are in existence around the country and the world—several in Seattle neighborhoods including West Seattle, Downtown Seattle and the International District.
 
Businesses within the district are assessed a figure based on their square footage, with retail establishments paying a higher rate than service and professional businesses. Money raised would provide a stable funding source to help keep the area lively, attractive and prosperous.

“The Edmonds BID budget will be developed once we’ve gotten input and ideas from all BID members,” Arista added. “There are some great ideas on the table already, and I know that’s just the tip of the iceberg.”

“Our BID committee has been meeting with business owners for the past few months,” Arista said, “but there are many businesses we haven’t had a chance to connect with, so we are now working to increase our visibility and bring awareness of the BID to all the business owners within the district.”

A website, www.edmondsBID.org, has information about the BID, including a map and a list of businesses supporting the petition, which requires signatures equal to at least 60% of the total assessment.

Businesses interested in signing the petition are encouraged to visit the website and to contact a committee member for more information or to answer any questions.

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Source:David Arista, Arista Wine Cellars
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