Downtown Pomona property owners vote for improvement district renewal

POMONA - Downtown's Pomona Business Improvement District will live on for another 10 years.

Ballots cast by downtown property owners during the course of more than a month were counted at Monday night's City Council meeting and showed a majority of property owners favored renewing district, known as PBID.

With the district renewed, the Downtown Pomona Owners Association, created five years ago to carry out the duties of the PBID, will now move forward with the planning of downtown events and with contract negotiations for services it is charged with providing, said Carolyn Hemming, president of the association.

"Now we can get back to actual business," she said.

Without knowing if the PBID would be renewed, the Owners Association leadership opted to hold off entering into some agreements, such as a contract for police services, Hemming said.

"We're in negotiations with police for a new police contract that we can now sign because we are going to be around," Hemming said.

The PBID was established five years ago with the mission to provide security, maintenance and marketing services to downtown using funds property owners agreed to assess themselves.

This year was the first time the district was up for recertification.

Some property owners opposed its renewal saying they weren't benefitting from it.

Supporters said the PBID has made a significant impact in the gradual but on-going revitalization of downtown.

During a public hearing, 23 people spoke or simply asked to be listed as being in favor of the PBID.

Among those who spoke in favor was downtown developer and property owner Jerry Tessier.

Tessier, one of the partners involved in the restoration of the Fox Theater, said that once Fox is completely operational it is could attract about 250,000 people a year to downtown.

"I can't imagine those people coming to Pomona five years ago," he said.

Tessier told the council, "There is no plan B if the PBID gets scratched. It's a giant step backward."

Before members of the City Clerk's Office began counting ballots council members voted unanimously to cast the city and its redevelopment agency's votes in favor of the renewal.

To be renewed, more than 50 percent of the ballots cast had to be in favor. With the city's votes, approval was by 71.7 percent.

The City Council adopted a resolution giving a handful of non-profit groups such as churches, a lower assessment rate within the PBID. They will pay 5 percent of the full amount but will have reduced services, Egan said.

Downtown Pomona businessman and property owners David Armstrong said Tuesday he voted against the PBID and is comfortable with his vote.

His mind could change, he said, but "that will depend on what happens here in the future."

Armstrong said city leaders must take steps to create policies and regulations that ensure matters related to parking lot maintenance, cleanliness and security tied to large events are addressed by city leaders.

He is advocating for some responsibilities assigned to the Vehicle Parking District, which is in charge of overseeing city-owned parking lots, to turn over some responsibilities to the Owners Association.

Armstrong said he plans to meet with elected officials and city staff to draw attention to his concerns.

Addressing such points is critical, he said.

Some property owners feel they are not receiving a portion of service but must still pay their share of the assessment, Armstrong said.

Egan said the association will take up these matters with the city.

"We will work very closely with the city and closely on cleanliness and security issues," Egan said.

During the meeting a representative for a self-storage business on the northeastern end of the downtown area said his business didn't benefit from the services tied to the PBID.

Councilwoman Paula Lantz asked how the business was included in the district.

Redevelopment Director Raymond Fong said that early in the process, which came late last year, when property owners where asked if they were interested in renewal was the time for business to request being left out of the district.

Egan told the council he was contacted early on by a representative of the storage business and informed him he should take his request before the City Council and to do it before the renewal process had reach the end.

Hemming said the Owners Association has plans for numerous projects in the coming years that range from the creation and establishment of signature events that introduce and continue familiarizing visitors to the area to median landscaping for Garey Avenue.

Other plans call for adding camera systems that offer security as well give people a chance to see the kind of activities taking place downtown via the Internet, she said.