MANY MERCHANTS in Boston's Downtown Crossing are doing well this holiday season despite the absence of
The area is often beset by litter, and because of its location above the Red and Orange lines, it attracts the homeless and teenagers from around the city. "Other than Macy's, [it] is like the outdoor version of the bar in Star Wars," said one anonymous contributor to an Internet shopping guide.
Such appearances can be deceptive as well as unfair. In E.B. Horn jewelers last week, affluent pre-Christmas shoppers were keeping the sales people busy. "Crime is not a significant issue," said Richard Finn, vice president of the company. People of whatever income level filling the streets keeps the district safe and vibrant.
And those Filene's Basement shoppers have to go somewhere. Tanya Barbosa, manager of H & M clothing nearby, said that business was better on Black Friday (the day after Thanksgiving) this year than last. Macy's, the largest store in Downtown Crossing, reported brisk sales. Boston is fortunate that unlike many other American cities, its downtown retains its appeal as a center of education, finance, commerce, and government. Downtown Crossing will never become a ghost town as long as these activities attract people into the core of the city.
The newest attraction will be the opening in January of a 274-bed Suffolk University dormitory on West Street. Additional student housing is slated for the long-vacant Modern Theater on Washington Street, where university officials have pledged to preserve the theater's distinctive facade. Suffolk students should help to enliven the area both day and night, while university police add another layer of safety to Downtown Crossing.
But how to maximize the area's appeal? With the Filene's building vacant, Mayor Menino and the Boston Redevelopment Authority have scheduled a series of holiday promotions to attract shoppers to Downtown Crossing, including 10-percent-off coupons at many stores. These inducements cannot continue indefinitely, if only because other Boston shopping districts would demand the same. The merchants in Downtown Crossing need to get together themselves to spruce up the area and keep it lively.
There is a well-tried way to do this - a business improvement district. These districts, established with the consent of local businesses, assess special fees to ensure a higher level of service than the city is able to provide. Trash would be picked up practically before it hits the ground. Graffiti would be sand-blasted off before it could attract more scribblings. Promotions would be arranged to highlight shopping offerings. The city would still be expected to make capital improvements, such as new sidewalks. But the day-to-day enhancements would be up to the BID.
These districts have been successful across the country; New York City alone has 57, and Ed Goldberg, a spokesman for the Macy's chain in Manhattan, said: "We have always found the BIDs help us grow our business. They make shopping areas more friendly to the community."
It's not a new idea in Massachusetts, but a previous campaign to establish such a district in Boston a decade ago never gained traction in the Legislature, which has to approve a special bill to ensure that all businesses are assessed the fees. At the time, the Boston Police Patrolmen's Association believed that the district might threaten paid detail work.
A state law, passed about the same time the Boston bill ran into trouble, allows the districts to be established, subject to approval by local government - so long as property owners can opt out of the fees within 30 days of creation. These districts have been established in Hyannis, Springfield, and Westfield and have worked well in the first two communities, while Westfield's is too new to know for sure. Still, it would be better if the state law were changed so that all businesses pay the fee. Free riders should not put a burden on those who contribute.
The Menino administration and the downtown businesses need to resume their efforts to get a bill through the Legislature without the opt-out provision. Surely the merchants could guarantee that police details wouldn't be affected by establishment of a BID. In fact, the police might get more work, defrayed by the new revenue stream. With or without a new law, the mayor needs to encourage the area's businesses to establish a BID. It would give Downtown Crossing a necessary coat of polish.
Today from 1 to 2 p.m., the city will sponsor a special Red Sox promotion in front of Borders bookstore on Washington Street. Anyone with a receipt from a local business will get a picture taken next to the 2007 World Series Trophy. Sometime in the spring of 2009, Filene's Basement will return to its old location, the first tenant in what promises to be an exciting hotel-condominium-shopping complex. That would be the time for another promotional splash, co-sponsored by the new Downtown Crossing Business Improvement District.
