You've probably heard about the proposed zoning changes along Broadway. You may also know of changes to the parking requirements for new residential construction recently put into place. These are among the current city efforts that fall loosely under the banner of Broadway revitalization.
Another proactive effort, one that could have a more immediate effect on the Hill's largest business districts, is being undertaken by Broadway and Pike-Pine property owners. A group of property owners is working to create the Capitol Hill Improvement District (CHID), modeled on the Metropolitan Improvement District downtown. If these efforts are successful the CHID will raise money to help address some of the safety and maintenance issues plaguing the Hill's business corridors.
The idea of a property owners' improvement district had considerable currency three years ago. At that time, efforts by Monica Moe, then executive director of Businesses of Broadway, the fiscal agent for the Broadway Business Improvement Association (BIA), were gaining some momentum. The intent was to have a property owners group fund security and maintenance programs, leaving the business owners to work on marketing and promotional efforts. Such efforts were more consistent with the Broadway BIA's mandate.
But financial problems largely connected to the now-defunct Capitol Hill Street Fair led to the Businesses of Broadway's demise at the end of 2002. While the BIA still exists, the restructured and smaller organization no longer has a full-time executive director.
Last week, Paul Dwoskin, chair of the Broadway BIA, sent out a letter in support of efforts to establish the Capitol Hill Improvement District.
"Credit for starting this goes to Monica Moe. Our goals now are pretty much the same," said Chip Ragen, who chairs the CHID steering committee. "But the idea was never off the table."
Ragen, who has been working on the project for 18 months, grew up on Capitol Hill and has owned Ragen and Associates on East Pike Street since 1991. He said establishing CHID is important to help stem the tide of Broadway's decline.
"Property owners are aware that many of their tenants aren't doing well," Ragen said. "But many of them remember when Broadway was alive, when it was a destination. I remember bumping into clients from the Eastside on Broadway - try to imagine that happening now."
In order for CHID to be sent to the City Council for approval, 60 percent of the owners, based on property valuation, must agree; owners with larger holdings count more than smaller owners.
A city grant enabled the steering committee to hire David Schraer, an architectural and planning consultant brought on earlier this year to help get property owners to sign on. Petitions were sent in February to more than 200 property owners representing some 250 properties. Only a few were returned in short order.
"It's been a challenge reaching many of them because there's never been a group to which a large number of owners belonged," Schraer said, noting that it's important to get larger and multiple property owners on board. He estimates that CHID is about half way to the 60 percent figure.
Schraer said the challenge in many cases is getting the information out to owners who are difficult to reach either because they live out of state or are not actively connected to their properties. A partial list has more than 40 signatories, including Value Village, Garage Billiards and Bob Burkheimer, whose company owns the former QFC property near the north end of Broadway.
"The momentum is building as we reach out as aggressively as we have. We're trying hard to get people to understand that this is an investment in our business future," he said.
"Owners new to the idea have legitimate concerns," Ragen said. "They want to know how CHID will benefit them and if this money is well spent. We point to downtown, where a similar system is working well. Or even the University Village, which has a private-sector version of the concept."
If approved by the City Council, the improvement district will apply to Broadway from East Roy Street East to Union Street, as well as the Pike-Pine corridor from Melrose Avenue to 15th Avenue. Participation would be mandatory; CHID would be a self-taxing entity. The assessment rates vary depending on the kind of property involved and are based on property values as assessed by the King County Assessor's Office.
The estimate is that $450,000 will be generated annually by CHID. Eighty percent of the money will be spent on maintenance and security, with 20 percent going to professional management. Maintenance efforts will focus on cleaning sidewalks and graffiti removal. Security dollars will be spent on hiring police bicycle and foot patrols. Management efforts will assist with coordinating with city departments on various issues and advocating for Broadway within city government.
"The assessments are not excessive," Ragen said. "Property management companies have jumped to get on board. Some out of town owners have said that they spend almost as much already for private graffiti removal."
While Schraer felt he couldn't be too specific about CHID's timeline. He's still meeting with property owners to convince them of the plan's merits. But he felt confident that there would be enough support to allow the improvement district to be in place by the end of 2005. The request is for CHID to be in place for five years, after which a new petition process would be required.
"It won't happen overnight, but it will happen. This is just another form of community building," he said.
Doug Schwartz is the editor of the Capitol Hill Times. He can be reached at editor@capitolhilltimes.com or 461-1308.
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