A HEALTHY push is underway to spruce up Boston’s downtown business district — a push that calls upon both the self-interest and civic conscience of the district’s 400 commercial property owners. Backers of the Downtown Boston Business Improvement District Campaign hope to persuade a majority of these owners to agree to voluntary taxes that would be used to beef up services.
Ideally, the regular level of city services would be enough to keep the downtown area clean and lively. But with almost a quarter-million people passing through downtown each day, the wear and tear is evident. A more intensive effort is needed. If it succeeds, everyone who visits, shops, and works downtown should benefit.
Like business improvement districts across the country, Boston’s would feature walking “ambassadors’’ for tourists and dedicated cleaning and graffiti removal crews on duty late into the evening. Once the shine is back on the area, organizers would concentrate on maintenance, marketing, and special events. According to city regulations, the district must win the approval of at least 60 percent of the area’s commercial property owners before a fee of $1.10 per $1,000 on the first $70 million of assessed value could be levied on the entire district. Commercial owners could still opt out. And residential property owners would be exempt.
The plan is a test of civic commitment. So far, about half the property owners in the area have endorsed it. They include both small firms and major office towers, including Millennium,
Similar efforts have foundered in the past. In the 1990s, a proposed Downtown Crossing district failed because Boston police feared encroachments by private security details, and property owners resented higher costs. Since then, Downtown Crossing has languished, while special business districts have proved useful in cities such as New York and San Francisco. The best such districts, like Philadelphia’s, also become vehicles for advocating with city officials for transportation and street upgrades. In Boston, the district could use members’ collective clout to press for improvements to the Downtown Crossing pedestrian mall and address the gap left in the heart of the district by the failed redevelopment of the Filene’s property.
Business owners, as a rule, are a confident lot. The business improvement district is their chance to boost the confidence of others.
