Downtown Property Owners Form a Benefit District to Fund Enhanced Maintenance, Security & Marketing

The first meeting of the Downtown San Leandro Community Benefit District (CBD) is scheduled for August 22, at 9:00 a.m. at the Englander Pub, located at 101 Parrott Street. An Interim Board of Directors will be established.
 
SAN LEANDRO, Calif. - Aug. 15, 2013 - PRLog -- Mayor Stephen Cassidy and the San Leandro City Council announced today that the first meeting of the Downtown San Leandro Community Benefit District (CBD) is scheduled for Thursday, August 22, at 9 a.m. at the Englander Pub, located at 101 Parrott Street.  At that meeting it is anticipated that an Interim Board of Directors will be established to begin work on formal incorporation of a management corporation to run the district on behalf of downtown businesses and property owners. This meeting is open to the public, and property owners and businesses in Downtown San Leandro are encouraged to attend.

“Downtown San Leandro is the heart of our community and a priority for our economic development efforts,” stated Mayor Stephen Cassidy. “The new Community Benefit District will provide a stable funding source to support and build upon the great work being done by businesses, property owners, and the San Leandro Downtown Association.”

On July 15, 2013, the San Leandro City Council concluded a successful community benefit district balloting process by approving the formation of a CBD to generate annual funding in support of Downtown San Leandro. At the City Council meeting, ballots from property owners were tallied and 67% by weight voted in favor of formation.


The Downtown San Leandro CBD will provide a critical funding source to support enhanced improvements and services in the Downtown area. The CBD will fund services for the following:
•   Enhanced security for Downtown businesses and property owners;
•   Enhanced sidewalk cleaning, steam cleaning and beautification;
•   A coordinated voice for property owners and business owners alike and developing new business friendly policies;
•   Promotion of Downtown San Leandro to attract new customers, businesses, and residential development Downtown;
•   Planting of flowers, tree and landscaping planting and maintenance; and
•   Planning of events and activation of public spaces.

In 2012 the City provided $65,000 to hire a consultant to lead the CBD formation process. That consultant, New City America, worked with a steering committee comprised of downtown property owners and businesses to determine the boundaries of the CBD and the services that it will provide.  

The CBD will generate around $360,000 annually and the enhanced services are scheduled to commence in January 2014. These funds will be raised through the levy of an assessment on each and every benefitting parcel within the boundaries of the proposed CBD (see map, attached). The funds will be controlled by the business community, residents and property owners themselves through a yet to be formed non-profit management corporation. Both BART and the City of San Leandro will pay into the CBD as property owners and the City has indicated a willingness to pay its FY 2013-14 assessment early to enable to the management corporation to begin operations as soon as possible.

The final results of the CBD balloting process were as follows:
•   Ballots cast were received from 62 property owners, representing 103 parcels and $179,902 of the total assessment.
•   The ballots with a vote of “Yes” to approve the assessment amounted to a total assessment of $120,927 or 67.22%.
•   The ballots with a vote of “No” to disapprove the assessment amounted to a total assessment of $58,975 or 32.78%.

For more information, please contact Jeff Kay at (510) 577-3319 or jkay@sanleandro.org.
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