The effort to set up a new Communities Facilities District for Belmont Shore's business sectpr could be back on track, if the Long Beach Council approves a staff recommended resolution Tuesday night.
The proposal is opposed by the Belmont Shore Residents Association for a number of reasons, one being that the district would push for the purchase of a parking lot owned by former Councilman Frank Colonna. However, the business sector supports the push, saying it will lead to important improvements of the area.
According to a city staff report, the recommended resolution calls for a public hearing on the proposed new district Aug. 5, 5:00 p.m., at a site in District 3.
The new CFD/Belmont Shore would provide a means to finance parking improvements in the Belmont Shore business area, by levying a special tax on commercial property located in that area. Revenues from that special tax, along with revenues derived from parking meters in the area, have been used to finance various parking and related improvements, as well as to pay debt service on parking meter revenue bonds issued by the city in 1993, according to the staff report..
The Parking Commission has identified an additional parking lot located at 189 Park Ave. that it would like the city to acquire and improve, along with improvements of alley ways, the staff report noted. The total price tag has been placed at $5.8 million.
An initial push in March failed to get the required two-thirds vote, as required by the Long Beach Municipal Code.
At that time, each business property owner received one vote for each acre, or portion of an acre, of land.
Added the staff report: "This requirement resulted in those owning very small parcels having the same voting power as those with significantly larger parcels, or those who owned multiple small parcels that aggregated less than one acre."
In order to remedy the "unfair voting requirements," the council in May adopted an ordinance which amended the municipal code giving the council members authority to adopt an alternative allocation of votes in district elections.
With a new voting formula possibly getting back on track, the business district property owners are also seeking a new vote on the financial package.
The council's prior support for a new district and the CFD's new voting process would be topics of a public hearing Aug. 5, if the council approves the resolution Tuesday night.
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