Downtown group considers expansion

As the owners of Main Plaza plot the redevelopment of the 8.5- acre private property near U.S. 301, they also hope to emulate a series of public improvements that have taken place on western Main Street.

BBC Main Plaza, which owns the Hollywood 20 property in the 1900 block of Main Street, has reached out to the Downtown Improvement District about potentially expanding the boundaries of the self-taxing district.

Since its formation in 2009, the DID has funded more than $5 million in improvements. The group’s undertakings include streetscape upgrades, enhanced landscaping and general maintenance.

The DID is funded through a 2-mill tax on commercial properties within the district. The Main Plaza owners think that’s a worthy investment.

“We feel it’s beneficial to the owners’ property, just seeing what the DID has done on the west side of Main Street,” said Kevin Robbins, a Realtor working with BBC Main.

On Tuesday, the DID held a preliminary workshop to discuss the potential expansion. There, one prominent property owner offered an opposing view.

George Spector owns the office building at 1800 Second St. He believes any improvements would mostly benefit businesses directly on Main Street, and that stores and restaurants would gain more than office tenants.

He said he would have to pay an additional $50,000 in taxes annually if his property was incorporated into the DID. To him, the costs didn’t match the benefits.

“I think this is a bit of a money grab and a redistribution of wealth to these Main Street merchants, who benefit from someone off of Main Street who won’t really see the benefit,” Spector said.

The DID board itself was split on the merits of expansion. The group did not want to expand unless there was genuine enthusiasm from property owners on the east side of downtown.

If that enthusiasm exists, some board members believe a more unified downtown would be a worthy goal.

“I think it’d bring everybody on the same page, as far as Main Street goes,” board member Daniel Volz said. “I think for the greater good of the downtown area, you want all of Main Street to be putting the best foot forward.”

Others thought there was an advantage to maintaining a smaller footprint.

“I happen to like the idea of where the DID is, to make that little area special,” DID Chairman Ron Soto said.

The board hopes to gain more input from east downtown property owners in the future. The DID also agreed to work with planning firm Kimley Horn to produce concepts for possible improvements in the proposed expansion area.

The City Commission would have to approve any expansion of the district, but DID Operations Manager John Moran said it would likely take months to gather the necessary information to determine if expansion is viable.

“This is not an instant gratification process,” Moran said. “A lot of work has to be done, because the City Commission is not going to create additional taxation to property owners unless there’s evidence they want it.”