Council Approves DBID Assessment For 2011-2012

The City Council unanimously approved the Burlingame Avenue Downtown Business Improvement District (DBID) assessment for the 2011-2012 fiscal year.  , controversy permeated meetings on potential formation of a DBID, an idea that then received 216 protests.

After its first year, the 2011-2012 assessment received just four protests. Protests are weighted based on each business's square footage and location. If the protests reached a majority of the total assessment, the BID can not be approved.

“The downtown is one community, and not everything we do will benefit everybody directly,” said DBID Board President and owner Dale Ferrel. “But as the downtown generally improves…it does tend to make a better environment for everyone.”

However, psychotherapist Barbara Seifer, who works at 405 Primrose Rd., argued that she and her colleagues should be exempt from the assessment.

“As mental health professionals, we receive no benefit from bringing shopping and diners to the Burlingame Avenue area,” she said. “As a matter of fact, our clients complain about how crowded it is.”

The assessment accounts for $88,000 annually and funds joint projects such as marketing, events and maintenance.

Assessments are based on the size of the business and location within a building and the downtown area.

Zone 1 consists of businesses located on the ground floor of Burlingame Avenue. They pay $125 per year plus $100 if the business is 500 square feet and $50 more for each additional 500 square feet.

Zone 2 includes businesses on the ground floor of district streets not including Burlingame Avenue. These businesses pay $100 each year, $80 if they are 500 square feet and $40 more for additional increments of 500 square feet.

Zone 3 consists of all businesses above or below ground level. They all pay a basic annual fee of $100. El Camino Real, Chapin Avenue, California Drive and Howard Avenue border the district.

“There is a broader point, which is a healthy and thriving downtown,” Councilmember Michael Brownrigg said of the assessment, noting that sales tax is a source of income for the City. “I think there is a direct benefit to all of us…to see the economic engine of Burlingame keep humming.”