The Chula Vista City Council on Tuesday renewed the downtown Chula Vista Property-based Improvement District for the next 10 years.
The business district will continue to provide funding for enhanced maintenance services, safety, beautification and economic development for the Third Avenue Village Association and its commercial corridor. The corridor encompasses E Street to the north, Landis Avenue to the west, Church Avenue to the east and I Street to the south.
The funding runs from Jan.1, 2017, through Dec. 31, 2026.
As part of the gareement to extend the PBID, the City Council also approved a new management plan that is designed to meet the district’s goals, improve the appearance of the district and increase the building occupancy and lease rates to attract new business development.
Luanne Hulsizer, executive director of the Third Avenue Village Association, noted that the growing craft beer industry along Third Avenue has brought new life to the district.
The downtown Chula Vista Property-based Improvement District was established in 2001 and renewed once before in 2006 for 10 years. The district was set to expire by the end of the year if council did not renew it.
The district collects money through assessments.
Cecylia Escarega, speaking on behalf of her aging mother, a property owner on Church Avenue in the district, opposed the renewal because she said her mother’s property was not getting the services she paid for.
“She’s a proud property owner; however, being in that district she’s had to pay that assessment for 10 years now and feels the absence of any real improvements to the property on Church Avenue,” she said.
“The maintenance seems to be hit and miss sometimes, so the assessment is paid under protest by my mother.”
Services provided include a maintenance team that sweeps, scrubs and pressure washes sidewalks, removes litter and graffiti and increases the frequency of trash removal.
The district will operate with a budget of $455,000.
Seventy-four business owners voted to approve the renewal of the downtown Chule Vista PBID totaling $223,442 in assessments, which represents 78.7 percent of the vote.
There were 52 ballots submitted that opposed the district, totaling $60,574 which represent 21.3 percent. The council voted 3-0 to renew the district.
Councilman Steve Miesen was absent and Mayor Mary Casillas Salas recused herself because she owns property in the district.
