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Push to organize downtown reaches climax this month
by Robb Fulcher
A proposed business improvement district for downtown Hermosa Beach apparently has the support it needs, and the city council may formally create the district later this month.
"There are less than a handful of people who are not interested," Patricia Spiritus-Benz, of the downtown business Hamilton Gregg Brewworks, said Friday.
The district's supporters broke the area down into eight sections and appointed "team captains" to talk to the business owners and find out the level of their interest. Spritus-Benz, who is spearheading the move for the district, is scheduled to present petition signatures to city officials Feb. 14.
If she presents signatures of at least 60 percent of the area's business license holders, then the businesses will formally vote on whether to establish the district, which would cover Pier Avenue west of Valley, and Hermosa Avenue between Eighth and 13th streets.
The district would, with the help of a professional manager, promote the downtown area and work to identify and meet the area's collective long-term goals. Supporters see it as a natural step in the evolution of the downtown, which has seen its nighttime popularity soar since the Pier Plaza promenade opened in 1997.
"To form the district, to create an image for downtown, and to put on special events, these are things we'll need to do to compete with Redondo and Manhattan," Spiritus said, citing Redondo's ongoing plans to revitalize its pier area.
"As we mature, we are going to have to market ourselves," she said. "Where do we want to be in five years?"
Business people already are discussing special district events for the slower, non-summer months, including an Oktoberfest, a Mardi Gras-type event and an open house for restaurants and stores.
"The big issue is the money, the dues," said Spritius, who stressed that the matter of dues would be decided by the businesspeople themselves.
"One option is to have a matrix, based on factors like the type of business and the proximity to the plaza. The dues will probably be set as low as $75 a year for some businesses, and maybe $300 a year for restaurants, maybe a little more for banks," she said.
"The idea is to make the dues high enough for us to operate, and to make people want to get in and actually participate in the district," she said. "Then we'll have special events to raise money for whatever we want to do, planting some trees, having valet parking, cleaning up the common trash areas."
As of 1995 more than 200 business improvement districts were in operation in California, and more than 2,000 were functioning nationwide, according to the Marco Group, a consulting company that helps organize the districts. ER