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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/17/1989, 4 - REQUEST FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS OF THE BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION (BIA) REQUESTING THE CR MEE7 AGENDA DATE -JAN ' tle11E:rv11 # city of SAI ! tuis oBispo 990 Palm Street/Post Office Box 8100 • San Luis Obispo. CA 93403-8100 January 9. 1989 MEMORANDUM To: City Council From: John Dunn. City Administrative Officer Subject: Request from the Board of Director?o ' lthe Business Improvement Association (BIA) requesting the creation of a local redevelopment agency to address downtown vitality issues Recommendation: The City Council should hear the presentation and, if you concur with the concept, request staff to research the procedural steps involved in creating a redevelopment agency and project, and report back to the City Council . Discussion: The City Council has received a resolution adopted by thF BI• Board of Directors which asks that the Council consider the implementation of a redevelopment process in order to produce tax increment financing which could be used to accomplish certain objectives in the downtown area in the areas of promotion, beautification, parking, housing, ei.,;zinsion of cultural facilities and preservation of historic architecture. The redevelopment process is set forth in State law, the Community Redevelopment Law (Health & Safety Code, § 33000 et seq. ) . The State law prescribes how to create a redevelopment agency, select an appropriate project, and implement the redevelopment process. Many communities in California have used the redevelopment process to their advantage. However, in the past there has been a great deal of confusion between the former Federal program and the State law. The Federal program made extensive use of Federal grants and often involved extensive acquisition, relocation, demolition and property resale. The State law provides no State grants, and the community chooses its own path in redevelopment as long as that course is consistent with the law. As the BIA resolution states, the principal advantage of the Cilly's use of the redevelopment process is the accrual and use of tax increme.-.t financing. The "increment" is the growth in property taxes from the "frozen base" (the base year) which may be used for the legitimate purposes of the redevelopment process. Under current State law, there must be a 20% set-aside for housing, which amount must be used within the community (not necessarily within the redevelopment project area) for purposes of creating low- and moderate-income housing. RECEIVED #441-1 JAN _ 91989 CrrVCLVtK SMU1608SPO.CA City Council January 9, 1989 Page 2 The important thing to realize about municipal use of redevelopment is that the law, both statutory and as interpreted by the courts, provides a rigorous legal framework for the application of the process, and that all actions taken are the result of local decision making, with input from those most affected as well as from the entire community. The agency's decisions regarding the program are made in the same public forum and in the same way as are other decisions regarding the City. Though the City Council and the redevelopment agency would be two separate legal entities in order to accomplish the purposes of redevelopment, the City Council could choose to constitute itself as the redevelopment agency, and to use City staff as agency staff.. A major step in getting involved in the redevelopment process is to perform a "feasibility study" to determine whether sufficient financial benefits would result from use of the process and whether the Council can make the necessary findings of "blight" which are very broadly used. At this point it is most important to carefully listen to the presentation of rep-esentatives from the Business Improvement Association. If the City Council concurs that there may be merit in the proposal, the appropriate action would be to refer the matter to staff to put together a report describing the basic parameters of the State law and the related proredu^al steps. We will then present this to you for your information, and for your further discussion of the matter with downtown representatives. JD:mp r A 1- 7a— DOWNTOWN SAN LUIS OBISPO BUSINESS IMPROVEMENT ASSOCIATION i Denotes action by Lead Pew= i Respond by: Wcouncil MEMORANDUM IVCAO : TO: John Dunn,,CAO k ng. L� er A RrAt. &V-4EX— FROM: Dodie Williams, BIA 7fA(W&A,7-AR1 ia'7, O.SS DATE: December 16, 1988 SUBJECT: BIA Proposal for Local Redevelopment Agency At the November 8 BIA board meeting, a presentation was made to the board recommending establishment of a San Luis Obispo redevelopment agency. The recommendation came from the BIA Parking Committee. It is felt that such an agency is essential to the continued commercial success of downtown San Luis Obispo, which is suffering increased competition that it cannot effectively combat without the addition of larger retail businesses. Following the presentation, a proposed motior �-.as submitted, to be forwarded to the City Council for its review. After some discussion, the board approved the conce.rt.. and acknowledged the necessity of such an agency, m.. motion was unanimously passed to forward the enclosed proposal to the City for review by both staff and the Council. If you have any questions or comments, please call. Enclosure RECEIVElid M-G- 21 1= low WY CLERK SANLU15095P0.CA y-3 P.O. Box 1402, Son Luis Obispo, CA 93406 (805) 541-0286 t BIA PROPOSAL FOR A SAN LUIS OBISPO REDEVELOPMENT AGENCY WHEREAS, it appears tax increment financing would improve the ability of the Downtown Business Improvement Association to accomplish its objectives in the areas of Promotion, Beautification and Parking; and, WHEREAS, such financing would improve the City' s ability to achieve its goals in the area of housing and expansion of cultural facilities and preservation of historic architecture; and, WHEREAS, such financing is available only- through a redevelopment agency; and, WHEREAS, the City Council would act as the Board of Directors of such an agency, thus assuring that such an agency would remain in compliance with the City' s goals for -/ downtown; and, WHEREAS, the challenges to downtown in the areas mentioned above and from other communities in our service area which have such agencies, such as Pismo Beach, Paso Robles and Santa Maria, plus those considering formation of such agencies, such as Los Osos and Morro Bay, will make it more difficult for the City and the Business Improvement Association to meet their goals. NOW, THEREFORE, the Board of the Business Improvement Association requests '.ie City evaluate formation of a redevelopment agency in order to better meet their goals and challenges. Adopted November 1988