Tacoma, Washington has created a local improvement district in the Broadway-St. Helens neighborhood to create an 'urban village' and improve old infrastructure, but existing small businesses are afraid of being priced out.
"When construction is finished on the Broadway-St. Helens 'urban village' in Tacoma in 2010, the area will have wider, tree-lined sidewalks with chic lighting and 'sidewalk furniture.'
Then there are the improvements you won't see: the new, bigger underground power, water and sewer lines that should accommodate plenty of development.
What you also might not see: some of the existing businesses, which fear they'll be priced out by the cost of the improvements or the resulting property tax increases.
'My cost is somewhere close to a quarter-million and for it I get nothing,' said Alan Gorsuch, owner of Sanford & Son Antiques in the Broadway LID. 'The LID is for planting, street lighting and underground power we've already got.'"
"Gorsuch said he's 'not paying a nickel' of the LID cost and plans to take the city to court over the LID formation process, which he characterized as illegal."
FULL STORY: ‘Urban village,’ urban warfare
Trends and Strategies in Urban Assessment Districts
Business improvement districts and other assessment districts are evolving as more residents move downtown. Among other things, place making is more important. Long time district consultant Marco Li Mandri explains the trends and strategies.
Why Some BIDs Succeed Where Others Fail
An in-depth study of business improvement districts (BIDs) in two Los Angeles neighborhoods examines the factors behind their success or failure.
How Cities Can Help Retail Catch Up with Residential
Scott Beyer details the old real estate wisdom of "retail follows rooftops," especially as evidenced by cities like Cleveland in recent years.
Maui's Vacation Rental Debate Turns Ugly
Verbal attacks, misinformation campaigns and fistfights plague a high-stakes debate to convert thousands of vacation rentals into long-term housing.
Planetizen Federal Action Tracker
A weekly monitor of how Trump’s orders and actions are impacting planners and planning in America.
San Francisco Suspends Traffic Calming Amidst Record Deaths
Citing “a challenging fiscal landscape,” the city will cease the program on the heels of 42 traffic deaths, including 24 pedestrians.
Half of Post-Fire Altadena Home Sales Were to Corporations
Large investors are quietly buying up dozens of properties in Altadena, California, where a devastating wildfire destroyed more than 6,000 homes in January.
Opinion: What San Francisco’s Proposed ‘Family Zoning’ Could Really Mean
Mayor Lurie is using ‘family zoning’ to encourage denser development and upzoning — but could the concept actually foster community and more human-scale public spaces?
Jacksonville Launches First Autonomous Transit Shuttle in US
A fleet of 14 fully autonomous vehicles will serve a 3.5-mile downtown Jacksonville route with 12 stops.
Urban Design for Planners 1: Software Tools
This six-course series explores essential urban design concepts using open source software and equips planners with the tools they need to participate fully in the urban design process.
Planning for Universal Design
Learn the tools for implementing Universal Design in planning regulations.
Gallatin County Department of Planning & Community Development
Heyer Gruel & Associates PA
JM Goldson LLC
City of Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Astoria
Transportation Research & Education Center (TREC) at Portland State University
Jefferson Parish Government
Camden Redevelopment Agency
City of Claremont