Comments on: In the Business Improvement Zone

By: Heidi Kaplan

Heidi Kaplan — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 14:24:44 +0000

It would be great if we could be more specific in terms of how volunteerism has failed Mainstreet in the past- is it freeriders or the lack of a formalized system?

To clarify; deep snow in alleys when trash collection is contingent on clearing it and continuously cracking concrete aren’t tasks I would entrust to a group of volunteers. That makes perfect sense.

I’m just a bit baffled that in this economic climate a tax is being proposed with mention of easy jobs like sweeping and litter collection. Speak to it in terms of substantial tasks and projects beyond cigarette and candy wrapper collecting…

By: Ed Shaffran

Ed Shaffran — Thu, 02 Jul 2009 00:19:27 +0000

The BIZ in not a tax. All of us property owners/tenants pay for the current services, e.g. snow removal and sidewalk cleaning. The City DOES NOT clean/clear our sidewalks nor do they pay for the flowers or pay for the Holiday lights you see during the winter months. The BIZ is about continuity when it comes to keeping the sidewalks free of snow and debris. It about a better experience for you the residents and visitors of our wonderful downtown. Attempts have been made in the past to do this on a volunteer bases, which would be best, however those efforts have failed. The BIZ will be set up pursuant to Michigan Law. As the driving force behind the BIZ the last thing I want is an increase in taxes. The BIZ in NOT about duplicating City services, its about preserving and enhancing OUR downtown.

PS: The MSAA is an all volunteer organization that promotes the Main Street Area.

By: Val

Val — Wed, 01 Jul 2009 11:40:36 +0000

What is the purpose of the Main Street Association then? Everything that a BIZ plans to do, is seemingly what the MSA does. Are there some sort of tax implications or funding options that a BIZ can obtain that the MSA can’t? (Is a BIZ about city services, or about economic development?)

Fred’s right, but I would add that if this is about economic development, a pooling of resources would be better spent on marketing for the region and consumer education about spending local in your downtown. (Sorry CVB or DDA, those downtown maps are lame!)

*Maybe* if more people lived downtown, (ahem, more dense housing downtown), downtown businesses wouldn’t scrape by. Also, if more people lived downtown, it would be a lot harder for the city to ignore certain services (like snow removal). (Although in a lot of cities, like Royal Oak, snow removal downtown is not a free city service. In this budget year, I can see why it isn’t here either.)

By: Tom Brandt

Tom Brandt — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 16:26:58 +0000

Fred, normally I would agree with you that raising taxes is counter-productive, but in this case it is the property owners themselves proposing to raise their own taxes. This indicates that they see problems that need fixing and that taxing themselves is an efficient means to fix them.

By: Heidi Kaplan

Heidi Kaplan — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:17:03 +0000

This arrangement would appear proper after a round of volunteerism has failed. A little elbow grease can get things done… the question is, how neighborly can our downtown businesses be with one another and how sustainably?

Perhaps if teams of two, three, or four businesses could split the labor of pickup/sweeping/watering on their stretch of Mainstreet and it was a gratifying experience for all involved, this kind of method could be counted on. When the first scuffles arise and MSAA can’t get the problem solved as mediator, then at least we’ve ruled out the free, ‘I believe in a better world’ option. Then, tax away!

By: Kris

Kris — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 12:15:18 +0000

I say avoid the taxes but establish standards and commonization. The common theme of plantings and maintenance will bring up the whole area and purchasing of a block of plantings will be much more economical than just one flower bed.

By: Steve Bean

Steve Bean — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 04:52:02 +0000

“it’s your mess most likely”

Is that true? My experience is that people from everywhere litter everywhere.

That said, I think you provide food for thought, Fred, on the simplicity and potential effectiveness of personal responsibility and the model that can present. I initially thought the BIZ concept was worthwhile, but it may be overkill, as you suggest.

I wonder if an obstacle that might have led to the choice of that path is an unresolved mistrust between property owners and tenant business owners. Expectations (unspoken ones in particular) can lead to resentment that undermines otherwise cooperative efforts. Maybe it would help for everyone concerned to step back and examine that before proceeding.

By: Fred Posner

Fred Posner — Tue, 30 Jun 2009 02:46:42 +0000

I cannot imagine a scenario where Downtown would be made better by more taxes. I find this to be the ultimate mistake someone could make and more anti-business than I could imagine. Taxes would be the most inefficient way to get this done. For cleaning up cigarette butts, I highly recommend… a broom and 10 minutes of hard labor. If you want, clean your area and the area around you… or just yours. If you feel you will get more business from a clean area, then clean. After all, it’s your mess most likely… unless we are to believe that for some reason people just like to put trash in front of your business, and it’s not the customers loitering (or eating) outside.

Flowers can be bought privately and planted in front of your business much cheaper than via taxes. And, guess what… the business that don’t look as pretty will either fail or strive… but it’s their choice. If you are the only one who cares for flowers, you’ll stand out. If not, not having flowers doesn’t seem to be the reason people wouldn’t come downtown to Ann Arbor.

If you want more people to come, how about keeping the roads smooth? And snow removal is a great job too… and if you feel that the city isn’t doing a good enough job, then either complain, vote in those that represent your thoughts, or do it yourself. Taxes is not the answer and if you keep raising taxes, rents will go up, businesses will close, and no one will come to a downtown with lots of closed businesses… no matter how many flowers you plant.