Meeting: Downtown Biz Assoc

First Meeting of New Downtown Arcadia Community Benefit District  (CBD) with consultant from New City America to begin to formulate strategy, goals, boundaries, taxing methodology, steering Committee, etc.

Agenda:

Downtown Arcadia Special Benefit District (SBD)
Steering Committee #1
Wednesday, July 11th, 2012 – 10:00 a.m.
Arcadia Chamber of Commerce office, 388 W. Huntington Drive

AGENDA
1. Introductions – April Verlato
2. Background on Arcadia Downtown SBD, NCA engagement with the City
3. What is a SBD? Special benefits vs. General Benefits
4. Why now in Arcadia:

• a. Look at success of Old Pasadena and now Old Monrovia/Myrtle Street;
• b. Upcoming opening of the Gold Line Station;
• c. Downtown Glendale’s new efforts;
• d. Halting leakage out of Arcadia;
• e. Need to develop identity and brand;
• f. End of Redevelopment;
• g. Orientation of land use policies and State legislation that favors transit oriented development communities;

• a. Set boundaries for mail survey of property owners;
• b. Get support from property owners for returning survey;
• c. Determine if conceptual support exists to form the district;
• d. Set priority special benefit services
• e. Finalize boundaries
  Formation stage: (if investigation shows support)
• d. Determine Benefit Zones, if any;
• e. Determine costs and frequency of services;
• f. Approve plan and sell to peers
• g. Coordinate petition drive and balloting
• h. Serve in capacity of interim Board once the district has been formed

6. Steering Committee will review of survey results by property variable:

• a. Do not use assessed valuation due to Prop 13 and Prop 218;
• b. Need around 30% of lot size, linear frontage and building square footage to demonstrate support for moving forward;
• c. Continue to get surveys filled out thru the end of June

7. Preliminary map of district – set boundaries
8. Review of sample survey;
9. Review of timeline
10. Questions and answers
11. Next Downtown Arcadia SBD Steering Committee meeting:__________________

Contact information:

• Project Coordinator, Marco Li Mandri, Marco@newcityamerica.com
• Meeting coordination, Monica Montes, Monica@newcityamerica.com
• Database work and assessments, Shirley Zawadzki, Shirley@newcityamerica.com
• Mapping, John Li Mandri, John@newcityamerica.com
• Design work, Chris Gomez, Chris@newcityamerica.com

619 233-5009
710 W. Ivy Street
San Diego, CA 92101

Function and Task to be Completed
Phase I – Investigation
Estimated Timeline
(DOWNTOWN ARCADIA SPECIAL BENEFITS DISTRICT INVESTIGATIVE STAGE)

1. With support from City Staff and the ADBA and the Arcadia Stakeholders Group, invite area business and property owners to form a Downtown Arcadia Special Benefits District (SBD) Steering Committee. Review initial boundaries for the CBD study area with the Steering Committee; determine the scope of the investigation. Create database and investigate contacts for property owners within study area. July 11
2. Agree to study area boundaries with Arcadia Downtown Special Benefits District Steering Committee, prepare a parcel map. July
3. Create and distribute a Arcadia Downtown Special Benefits District mailed written survey to property owners ascertaining conceptual support for special benefits district and priority of services within the designated study area. July
4. Plot survey results on parcel map, identifying support and opposition by color. August
5. Present survey results to the Arcadia Downtown Special Benefits District Steering Committee, brief City Manager’s office as needed. August – September
6. At the conclusion of the investigation, the Arcadia Downtown Special Benefits District Steering Committee will make the determination if conceptual weighted support exists for moving forward to the formation stage of the contract. If yes, set final boundaries of the district. Get approval of the CBD Steering Committee to work with the City Manager’s office to bring the issue to the City Council. September – October

ARCADIA DOWNTOWN SPECIAL BENEFITS DISTRICT
PHASE II – FORMATION STAGE
Estimated Timeline

1. Write newsletter summarizing the Downtown Arcadia Special Benefits District (SBD) survey results. Send out property verification forms to all affected property owners. Work on new enabling ordinance if necessary. Submit property database to the City for verification of database. November
2. Write the first draft preliminary Arcadia Downtown Special Benefits District Management District Plan, submit to the SBD Steering Committee, meet frequently with Steering Committee until the plan has been fully supported. The Management District Plan is a legal document which will include the costs per property owner; list of special benefit services to be funded; benefit zones, if any; frequency of services; boundaries; term of the district; and management. November – December
3. Finalize the SBD Management District Plan; get approval from the Arcadia Downtown Special Benefits District Steering Committee. Communicate with property owners on status of the district formation process. January
4. Have plan approved by an independent, non-city certified assessment engineer. Once certified, have plan submitted to the City Manager’s office for review. Once City Attorney’s office has reviewed and approved the plan, initiate petition drive, in coordination with the SBD Steering Committee members to trigger the ballot, mail out plan summary to all property owners. February
5. Complete petition drive; submit petitions to the City Manager’s office. March – April
6. Update property owners on the progress of formation effort Throughout process
7. Work with the City on ballot preparation, if necessary. May
8. Follow up with Arcadia Downtown Special Benefits District Steering Committee to ensure weighted majority property owners vote and return ballots. May – July
9. Attend public hearing, help City in processing ballots. June – July