Arcadia Downtown Merchants (BID) for Gold Line

By Susan Motander
Merchants in the downtown area of Arcadia are beginning preparations for the Gold Line coming through town. A large part of that preparation is a discussion of starting a business improvement district (BID). The merchants in the downtown area are roughly defined as those in the area from the Gold Line Station on North First, down through the business district on First and along Huntington Drive within walking district of the downtown.
A large part of impetus for forming pushing this idea forward at this time is the Gold Line station which will be at the corner
For many years, several groups have tried to form such an organization with little success. This group seems more determined. The business and property owners began informal meetings over a year ago and last summer formed a more organized group which has begun meeting twice a month. The group has a sort of board consisting of 8 individuals and one nonvoting honorary member from the city which meets the second Tuesday of each month.
This core group reports to the merchants and property owners as a whole on the fourth Tuesday. On a regular basis, approximately 25 individuals attend these meetings, not always the same group. The group has had presentations from other BIDs and has also received input from the city of Arcadia according to one of the Group’s organizers, Matt McSweeney of Matt Denny’s.
The group has come up with a Mission Statement: The Arcadia Downtown Business Association is a unified voice of businesses and property owners, together, to revitalize and promote the downtown business area through increased public improvement, stimulation of new capital investment and blending of public and private economic development strategies. It is our continued mission to increase property values and business n the downtown area ad to make the downtown a fun, safe and friendly place in which to shop, eat, work and live.
With the assistance of the Arcadia Chamber of Commerce and Jerry Schwartz, the Economic Development Manager for Arcadia, the group has reached some basic conclusion according to McSweeney. The area, as currently situation, does not have an identity of its own, i.e. it does not have much personality or appeal which would draw people to it.
The of the goals of the group is to market the downtown as a destination and to increase foot traffic in the area. According to a recent report to a meeting of the Chamber, McSweeney write that to do this they realize that they must make sure that residents know about the services available and what is available available in the area.
Doing this, according to that report, the perception of the area needs to be changed. McSweeney wrote, “The people involved in this Association want to better their properties businesses, incomes and quality of life while helping beautify the city, make it a fun, safe and friendly place to shop, eat, work, live and increase tax revenues for the city.
With the financial assistance of the city, the Association is consulting with Urban Place Planning Group regarding the formation of a BID. Their report was discussed with the “board” of the Association and will be presented to the general membership later this month. It will not be made public until after the members of the City Council has had a chance to study it.
According to Schwartz, the city council wants to review the report at a study session prior to acting on this matter. Before the council can consider this issue, it plans to continue its study of the proposed homeowners association. “This comes first,” Schwartz said, “as it is a continuation of the matter already under consideration.”
At this point, no definitive date has been set for a study session for this matter. Further complicating the issues the unsettled status of local redevelopment agencies. The state Supreme Court has stayed only a portion of the two actions which put the status of these agencies in a sort of no man’s land. In the first action, cities have been told that they cannot take any action through any agency and that the agencies assets are now those of the state. The section act allowed cities to “opt out” of the state take over, funds would need to be paid to the state.
The Supreme Court has stayed only a portion of these acts, basically putting on hold all development agency business. Since BIDs are traditionally created out of redevelopment agencies, this puts the issue on hold until the Supreme Court acts.

More from Arcadia Weekly