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Property owners discussing ways to improve downtown

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By Samantha Sommer, Staff Writer Updated 7:53 AM Wednesday, March 17, 2010

SPRINGFIELD — When property owners pool resources, they often get a lot more bang for their buck.

That’s one benefit of a downtown special improvement district proposed by the Center City Association, Executive Director Maureen Fagans told city commissioners on Tuesday, March 16.

The association is proposing a special improvement district, called a SID, to bring together property owners in a contiguous area who agree to tax themselves. The money would go to projects and services that are above and beyond what the city provides.

“If you are trying to accomplish those things on your own, you may not see as much results because your own dollars will only go so far,” Fagans said.

A SID could stabilize, clean and beautify downtown, she said. Extra services under consideration include additional cleaning, graffiti and trash removal, security, marketing, streetscapes and more.

To set it up, 60 percent of the front-footage or 75 percent of all property owners must sign petitions and then city commissioners must agree.

Government and church buildings are exempt. Federally owned properties can’t participate, but the others could choose to pay.

The boundaries haven’t been determined. They could extend from Buck Creek to the railroad tracks and from Spring Street to Center Street.

How it would be assessed, and therefore how much it would cost property owners, hasn’t been decided. A possibility is a blend of property value and front footage.

Center City will talk about the district at its annual meeting on March 24. It hopes to pass petitions in April.

Commissioner Dan Martin asked if businesses would see the cost as a deterrent to locating downtown.

The assessment is similar to fees paid at malls, Fagans said, and the extra services should be attractive to them.

Commissioner Kevin O’Neill wanted to see as much buy-in as possible, pointing out that owners will have to find the money to pay any assessment.

The recent mess from flocks of crows and heavy snows are a good example of how the SID could be useful, Commissioner Karen Duncan said. It could power-wash sidewalks and shovel clear, even paths.

“That would make things much more pleasant for the business owners and for the citizens walking,” she said.

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