Councilmembers Host Community Forums; Final Plan Expected By End Of February

By Tiffany Rider - Senior Writer

January 17 - While the Downtown Long Beach Associates (DLBA) continue to take public comments on its draft management plan and proposed changes to the Property-Based Improvement District (PBID) through January 31, councilmembers representing Downtown Long Beach have become involved in educating downtown business owners and residents on the issue.

Vice Mayor and 2nd District Councilmember Suja Lowenthal hosted a community forum on January 12 at the Long Beach Main Library Auditorium, with about 50 residents and business owners in attendance. Lowenthal had not taken a position on the proposed plan as of January 9, however she told the Business Journal via e-mail, “I am listening to the advocates on both sides of the issue and meeting with our City Attorney to drill down on the City's role and responsibilities under Proposition 218.”

Sandy Rendell, spokesperson for the anti-PBID group Downtown Homeowners Unite, said the meeting was well attended by homeowners with concerns about being included in the district. “I was heartened by the many new voices which were raised by homeowners who are just becoming aware of this issue and how similar their concerns are to ours,” she said in an e-mail. Rendell also noted that the concerns addressed at the meeting are to be answered in the upcoming engineer’s report, produced by an independent agency and paid for through DLBA funds.

First District Councilmember Robert Garcia plans to host a similar community meeting at 6 p.m. on Monday, January 23, at the Long Beach City College Small Business Development Center on Pine Avenue and 3rd Street. Garcia said in an e-mail that it is important for residents who may be impacted by the PBID proposal to voice their concerns or support through the DLBA’s online survey at downtownlongbeach.org.

“I have heard from both residents who are in favor and those that are against being included in the PBID,” he said. “I encourage that these residents get involved in the debate and ensure that their voices are heard. It is important that we create a strong, fair, and responsible Business Improvement District that will represent Downtown residents, property owners, and business owners.”

The online survey for the draft PBID plan, which allows participants to provide written comments on each page of the plan, is scheduled to close at 11:59 p.m. on January 31. From there, “Staff will compile and sort all comments germane to the plan’s contents, respond accordingly, and work with the consulting team to make amendments to the draft plan where appropriate,” DLBA President Kraig Kojian said in an e-mail. He compared this process to the way a public sector entity would review comments on a development plan.

Kojian said he expects the plan to be finalized by late February, given the tight schedule for approving the engineer’s report, hosting the petition process and Proposition 218 election, having the Long Beach City Council count the votes in a public forum and having the DLBA Board approve the final plan. Based on Kojian’s report to the DLBA Executive Committee on January 5, the final PBID management plan must be finalized in the first quarter of 2012 before launching the petition campaign in the second quarter of the year. An engineer’s report is likely to be available sometime in March, in advance of the petition process.