About the Arts District BID:

The Arts District BID is roughly bounded by 7th Place, Alameda, the 101 freeway, and the Los Angeles River. It represents the most diverse neighborhood within Downtown Los Angeles. The Arts District is home to a major rail yard, cold storage, warehouses, food processing, furniture and fashion design/manufacturing, personal storage, government facilities, and film locations. It is also home to thousands of artists, and their live/work spaces that support creative entrepreneurial businesses and non-profits. The district is home to SCI-Arc, a prominent school of architecture, and eclectic retail shops and galleries. The Arts BID annual budget is approximately $1.1 million. The District offers public safety, sidewalk maintenance, marketing, and administration/advocacy.

Arts District BID Background
In 2005, a group of Downtown property owners approached CCEA to discuss forming a Business Improvement District (BID) in the area east of Alameda. The Steering Committee, chaired by longtime Arts District property owner Howard Klein, Factory Place Arts Complex, laid out a vision and a budget for the primary services needed in the area: security, maintenance, marketing and advocacy. On September 12, 2006, the Arts BID election closed. The ballot results: 64% YES, 36% NO.

On the following day, the Los Angeles City Council certified the election results and voted to establish the BID. CCEA administers the Arts District BID in addition to the Downtown Industrial District. CCEA now administers the area from San Pedro Street to the Los Angeles River - the eastern half of Downtown Los Angeles.

Boundaries
The Arts District BID consists of approximately 52 blocks between the eastern edge of downtown Los Angeles and the Los Angeles River. A general description of the exterior boundaries of the District is as follows: The 101 Freeway to the north, the Los Angeles River to the east, 7th Place to the south, and Alameda Street to the west. The freeway and river provide natural boundaries and the west side of the District shares a boundary with the Downtown Industrial District and Little Tokyo District Business Improvement Districts which provide similar services to the Arts District BID. Property south of the district is primarily industrial. The area east of Alameda Street roughly between Ducommon Street and 3rd Street is serviced by the Little Tokyo BID. The small area extending south to Violet Street between Santa Fe Avenue and the Los Angeles River is the result of a parcel tie with a property located on 7th Place.

Duration: The District has a 5-year life that began on January 1, 2007 and will end on December 31, 2011. The Arts District BID begins renewal efforts in February, 2010.

There are 489 parcels owned by 231 stakeholders in the Arts District. The total District budget is currently $1,181,815 per year (as of 2010) and is composed of the following elements:

Enhanced Safety Programs:
• Bicycle Patrol
• Night Vehicle Patrol

Maintenance Programs:
• Illegal Dumping
• Trash Removal
• Sidewalk Cleaning
• Graffiti Removal
• Weed Abatement

Special Programs:
• Trash containers, informational kiosks, banners
• Work with non-profits to develop community generated projects
• Assist in promoting local events
• Image / Communication

Annual Budget

BIDs are financed through special assessments upon real property properties that receive special benefits from the improvements and activities. Annual assessments are based upon an allocation of program costs and a calculation of assessable lot square footage and assessable building square footage. Two property assessment variables - building footage and lot footage - are used in the calculation.

Calculation of Assessments:

Cost Per Lot Square Foot :
Lot - $0.057314691
Building - $0.091711682

The funds are allocated as follows:

SAFE AND CLEAN PROGRAMS$851,13473%
COMMUNICATION / DEVELOPMENT$77,2117%
ADVOCACY/ADMINISTRATION$137,49912%
RESERVE DELINQUENT/SLOW PAY$92,7768%