Gaining trust downtown is two-way street
SM PLACE — When it comes to making sure downtown remains a premier destination, it seems Santa Monicans don’t know who to trust.
Property owners and businesses seem leery of City Hall controlling funds generated from their operations, while residents and elected officials are concerned about handing over too much power to private interests to manage what is essentially a heavily utilized public space.
Caught in the middle is consultant Brad Segal of the Denver-based Progressive Urban Management Associates (PUMA), a self-described “urban therapist” who has been handed the job of balancing the needs of thousands of residents and more than 600 businesses in the Bayside District.
Hired in August by the Bayside District Corp., a public-private entity which manages downtown along with City Hall, Segal has conducted an extensive outreach campaign to gauge the sentiment of the community in regards to potentially higher property taxes or new assessments aimed at bolstering downtown Santa Monica.
During the discussions, Segal has discovered that there is a strong desire by all involved to invest more money to ensure downtown remains competitive with other retail centers, such as The Grove at Farmers Market in Los Angeles and the newly renovated Westfield Shopping Center in Century City.
However, Segal said businesses aren’t ready to hand over extra cash until City Hall ponies up as well. Businesses and property owners also said they would like more control over how the money is spent.
“The two models I’ve been hearing are really irreconcilable models,” Segal told Bayside board members last week. “I’ve heard a lot of property owners who say, ‘We’re not going to play if this is a city-appointed management board. Forget it.’ I heard the same thing from city officials, who said, ‘Hey, this is our living room and we don’t want our living room taken. We’re not going to play if this is a property owner appointment management board.’
“We have to see if there is some kind of compromise,” Segal added.“There are a couple of options.”
One of the models suggested by Segal would emulate the governing structure of the Santa Monica Convention and Visitors Bureau, in which both the private sector and City Hall appoint board members. Another model cited was that used by Boulder, Colo., whereby qualifications for board members are developed by businesses and a slate is submitted to the City Council for approval.
Under each model, Bayside would be given more power and more funding to help with initiatives to address the homeless population, the lack of parking and the expansion of services, such as alley cleaning and the addition of ambassadors and bathroom attendants.
Under Segal’s initial proposal, anywhere from $2.75 million to $3.25 million would have to be generated in order to address the outstanding issues identified by stakeholders. Much of the money would come from a realignment of the current funding, with an extra $825,000 going directly to Bayside rather than City Hall.
A property-based assessment could also add an additional $1.26 million or more, according to Segal. Currently, Bayside receives $217,000 directly from assessments. Under Segal’s rough draft, Bayside could receive more than $2 million, with additional funds coming from City Hall to help with maintenance.
“If we get a green light, we’ll move forward with drafting a plan,” Segal said.
Instead of green, Segal got yellow from most of those in attendance at Bayside’s meeting in Santa Monica Place on Thursday, meaning members felt comfortable with the idea of creating a new management structure, but were unsure of which way to go.
The board instructed Segal to return after the holidays with more specifics on what the potential impact would be by shifting the funding streams.
“I do want to give you folks some real numbers,” Segal said. “I want to make sure that we are generating enough (money) to make a difference.
“I’ll bring you more meat, but if you don’t like the bones, than I won’t bother.”
Rob York, a consultant for Bayside, said downtown remains a strong contender in the region with its diverse selection of retail and restaurants, however, he sees a need for more considerable investment to continue.
“I’m a green light guy,” York said, refer-ring to Segal’s calls for approval. “I’m not stuck on any particular formula, but more on what resources are required to make an impact on our top issues. It goes back to the trust issue. What is the most equitable, most transparent way for everyone to be comfortable with?
“That has to be the focus now.”
Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on November 21, 2006. Read the original PDF.