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Home My WebLink About01-26-2013 pc cashRECEIVE D JAN 2 2 201 3 Heather, Please forward to the Mayor and Council Members for the Goal Setting Session on Saturday, January 26, 201 3 Thank you . maeve kenneOy crme s City Cler k city of sail leis OBISp O 990 Palm Street San Luis Obispo, CA 9340 1 phone : (805) 781-710 2 email :mgrimes@slocitv .org Deborah Cash Jmailto :dcash@downtownslo .com jFriday, January 18, 2013 3 :17 P MGrimes, Maeve Cc : Joe DiFronzo ; Jeff Olds ; Greg Coates; Carl Dudley; Therese Cron ; Pierre Rademaker ; Andrea Miller ; Ron Meier; Tre s Feltman ; Jim Duffy ; Tom Swem ; Dominic Tartaglia ; Landy Fike; Lichtig, Katie ; Horch, Robert Subject :DA goals for City 2 year workplan and budge t Maeve, hello Would you mind distributing this document to the Mayor and Council? I would appreciate it. Thank yo u Deborah Deborah Cas h Executive Director SLO Downtown Associatio n P O Box 1402 San Luis Obispo CA 9340 6 805-541-028 6 dcash@downtownslo .co m • Goodwin, Heather Grimes, Maeve SLO CITY CLER K Friday, January 18, 2013 5 :38 P M To:Goodwin, Heathe r Subject :FW: DA goals for City 2 year workplan and budg€UNCIL MEETING :I /°ZfO ~I Attachments :Council memo Goal Setting 2013 .doc ITEM NO .. 1 • 18 January 201 3 To : Mayor Jan Man and City Council Member s From : Deborah Cash, Executive Directo r San Luis Obispo Downtown Associatio n Re : Council Goal Setting/Two Year Budget and Work Pla n The SLO Downtown Association is appreciative for the opportunity to work with th e City of SLO in the coming two years on projects, programs and activities that benefit not only the members of the Association but the overall community as well . As I stated at the goal setting workshop on January 8, the Downtown Associatio n believes the long established partnership with the City provides for a unique opportunit y to conjoin our efforts, thereby reducing costs while at the same time benefitting not onl y the Downtown area but the entire community . The Downtown, as the City's second largest business tax district, has historically require d a high level of resources and maintenance based on its role as a tourism, commerce , cultural and historic center . This is recognized in our contract with the City for use of th e BID (business improvement district) funds, in a number of policies and practices of th e City's general plan that are deemed beneficial to the Downtown . A most recent example of our mutual collaboration and investment is the Downtow n Lighting Project whereby, this past year, the City provided assistance with infrastructure improvements and the Downtown Association decorated 23 trees with high qualit y permanent lighting to enhance not only the ambiance of a section of Downtown at nigh t but to provide a sense of security for those visiting Downtown after dark . The Downtown Association's mission is to create an economically viable Downtown . By doing so, the success of the commercial center benefits the entire community ; Downtown's success is an economic driver for the City . The programs below are all par t of the strategy to deliver continued economic success and secure our role as a majo r tourist attraction . Looking ahead, the Downtown Association wishes to enlist the City's efforts in join t projects including the following : 1 . Tree Lightin g Establish a "matching grant" tree lighting program that utilizes any funding left ove r from the Higuera Street beautification project . In this program, private business owner s would apply for matching funds to light the tree(s) adjacent to their business . Thi s program would be managed by the Downtown Association and would coordinate with th e currently approved project (though would not require infrastructure assistance). Many business owners who wish to light their trees and expand the current program find th e • • 1 • cost prohibitive ; since they would be providing lighting (and the ongoing electrica l usage) to the public area, this approach seems fitting . 2 . Problem Behavior Issues in the Downtown Are a Problem behaviors are at an all-time high in Downtown SLO . The Downtow n Association has employed private security for seven years at a significant cost (thes e funds are privately raised and do not include BID funds collected by the City an d disbursed to the DA through a contractual agreement). The Board of Directors believes that the continual, harmful and often criminal problem s experienced in Downtown are created in large part by a segment of th e homeless/transient community who are resistant to services . While the Downtown Association's transient issue task force is looking at a variety of ways to change th e culture, most of those take time and don't provide immediate relief . The Downtown Association requests that the City reinstate its previous program o f dedicated bike patrol presence in the Downtown with a minimum of two officer s patrolling the Downtown daily . In addition, the Downtown Association believes a strong public relations campaign wit h a branded message and continuous exposure would be effective in educating the publi c about directed giving and illustrate the problems that result from giving money t o panhandlers . A two-year program of advertising in a variety of media and educationa l materials is recommended . • 3 . Transportation Programs for Late Hour Rider s One of the biggest problems facing Downtown and surrounding neighborhoods durin g late hour socializing in Downtown is with patrons exiting the Downtown area trying t o find transportation home . The City bus service ends at 10 PM and taxis, if available , often take too long to arrive . By developing later operating hours for public transit and by providing grant funding t o SLO Safe Ride, as well as designating taxi zones as pick up and drop off areas, th e problem could be mitigated for the benefit of all . 4 . Downtown master plan for potential streetscape amenitie s Looking ahead, the Downtown Association is aware that the need for bike racks, bul b outs, taxi stands, etc . is growing as we work to provide alternative forms of access an d offer a pedestrian friendly environment . In order that the efforts not be mish-mash o r haphazard, an overlay plan for placement of these amenities would keep Downtow n orderly and encourage private efforts toward such upgrades . Though not one of the goals developed by the Downtown Association, the Mission Plaz a improvements discussed at the workshop are also supported by the Downtow n Association . Recently, the Board of Directors sent a letter of support to the Nationa l Endowment for the Arts on behalf of the City of San Luis Obispo and the SLO Museu m of Art requesting grant funding for a proposed master plan project in Mission Plaza . The Downtown Association realizes the importance of the Plaza both historically and as a gathering place—the high use of the area requires ongoing maintenance but also ove r time, needs regeneration and investment . As an organization that uses the Plaza 2 throughout the year for major community events, we are especially supportive of effort s to keep the Plaza in good condition and suitable for high use . In conclusion, the Downtown Association thanks the Council in advance for it s consideration of what the Board believes are worthy and—in the case of #3 and #4 , sorely needed—projects . As your partner, we are willing to continue our contribution o f resources, such as our private security program, and working wherever possible t o maximize return on the investment . Thank you for your continued `care and feeding' of the Downtown area . cc : SLO Downtown Association Board of Director s Katie Lichtig, City Manage r Robert Horch, Downtown Champion SLO Downtown Committees : Economic Activitie s Parking Design Promotion s Thursday Night Promotion s Safe Night Life • • 3