Dirty Boulevard

Two weeks ago at a Public Works Committee meeting, we were joined by several property owners who were outraged over the current condition of our downtown. They noted problems such as gum on the sidewalks, litter, hanging baskets with no visible flowers, planting beds not mulched/filled with weeds, peeling paint on gas lamps/trash cans, awnings covered in bird excrement and crooked signs. They even went so far to bring pictures to show specific examples of these issues. While we have discussed most of these issues at one point or another, I can't say that I disagree with their concerns and share their frustration that these issues remain.

Clearly, beautification of the downtown is a complex problem - a combination of people who have no regard for the town and will freely litter, together with an aging infrastructure (the sidewalks and Gaslamps have been there for over 12 years), melded with SOME property/business owners who do not properly care for their property/sidewalks, combined with sporadic and inconsistent Code Enforcement, in conjunction with limited resources (people and money) for Public Works. The question then becomes how to solve the problem. Should all taxpayers pay for additional resources? Should the business/property owners bear the sole responsibility?

There have been at least three times over the past 10 years that the concept of a Special Improvement District (or Business Improvement District or Downtown Redevelopment Management Corporation) has been proposed to help fund dedicated resources for this constant maintenance that is needed to keep our town attractive and competitive. Each time the idea was killed off, largely by merchants who were opposed to this "tax" being imposed upon them by the Government.

Now, several property owners are suggesting that THEY take the lead to help create some structure for downtown cleanliness and beautification. Will this make a difference and gain consensus or are they simply revisiting the same idea that has been repeatedly rejected? I'm intrigued to learn more and am curious what you think.