Proposed Fruitvale BID Information

CivicMic works with the Fruitvale Business Improvement District ("Fruitvale BID") to facilitate community outreach and public engagement opportunities for the renewal of the BID that funds operations, maintenance, and activities in the District. In this post, CivicMic shares the boundaries, management plan, and assessment amounts for the proposed Fruitvale BID.

Background

In 2011, property owners in the Fruitvale neighborhood the City of Oakland City Council approved the renewal of the Fruitvale Business Improvement District (the “BID”) for a ten-year period. Since then the BID has been providing services, above and beyond the City’s baseline level of service, to improve the everyday experience within the boundary of the BID by making the area cleaner and more inviting. In 2021, the BID’s property owners will be asked to renew their commitment and to continue funding the core services provided by the BID. The proposed Fruitvale BID is also expanding to include a few additional blocks and parcels. The Unity Council is asking these new property owners to join the BID, commit to funding the services provided by the BID for their property and help make the Fruitvale commercial corridor a vibrant and welcoming neighborhood.

The full management plan for the proposed Fruitvale BID details the process of continuing the services provided by the current Unity Council. The management plan also provides detail on the formula used in developing individual assessments and the services that will be provided to individual properties and the BID as a whole.

Click Here to Download the New Management Plan Dated February 2021

Proposed Fruitvale BID Information

The proposed Fruitvale BID will fund the following services and activities (the “Improvements”):

• Maintenance Program
• Promotion Program
• Administration and Contingency

The Improvements to be funded are those currently desired by BID stakeholders and believed to be of benefit to BID properties. Every effort will be made to provide the Improvements according to the estimates provided. Below is a description of the anticipated Improvements for the first year of the BID.

Maintenance Program

Cleaning services, including sidewalk sweeping and power washing, will be provided along the frontages of property within the BID.

Properties in the BID will receive sidewalk sweeping a minimum of once per day Monday through Saturday, power washing of sidewalks twice per year with spot cleaning (as needed and directed by the BID Program Manager), and weed removal Monday through Friday, with access to the cleaning dispatch number.

Properties in the BID will also receive graffiti abatement and removal of illegal posters/tags Monday through Friday.  Other cleaning services that may be provided include:

• Enhanced trash emptying in the public right-of-way.
• Special events cleaning and maintenance services.

Assistance to Property Owners & Tenants
The BID will fund property-centric owner and tenant assistance utilizing technology for efficient communication and fulfillment. An online Salesforce-backed report and request system for spot cleaning and other Peralta Service Corporation (PSC) service issues is currently in use. In 2021, access to crowdsourced street-level data from anywhere with Fruitvale Streetwyze, a GIS backed platform, and a system to track and distribute information on rental vacancies will be available to owners and tenants of the BID.

Promotion Program

The BID will provide marketing, promotion, and event services to improve the BID’s image and visibility, foster connection with community members, communicate with BID stakeholders, and promote activities taking place within the BID. Work may include, but is not limited to, the following:

• Data Collection
• BID Stakeholder and Neighborhood Outreach
• Website & Social Media
• Branding (Ongoing digital marketing of individual BID businesses via our social media channels)
• Media Relations (Connect members of the press to local businesses)
• Destination Marketing
• Business Directory (now online)
• Service Presentations
• General Benefit Fundraising
• Events:
  • Annual Dia de Los Muertos Festival
  • Annual Holiday Posada & Holiday Market
  • Summer Night Markets
  • Indigenous Red Market
  • Fruitvale Farmers’ Market
  • Fruitvale Restaurant Week
  • Beautification projects
• Volunteer coordination

Fundraising for the BID, building and managing relationships with the neighborhood association/groups, City agencies/departments, and elected officials establishes a community network and supports advocacy work. The Fruitvale has often been chosen to host city-funded pilot projects, which benefit the neighborhood. This type of work will continue in the new, renewed BID.

Assistance to Merchants
The BID will fund the service of assisting merchants for business retention in support for a thriving economy. This includes a monthly Merchant Meeting, Small Business Helpline staffed full time 40 hours per week, Information HUB maintaining a bi-monthly newsletter and social media channels, Financial Resource Navigation and application assistance for grants and loans and facilitating connections to lenders, COVID –19 Safety and Sanitation Guidance, and distributing City-sponsored PPE, host a Business Owner Upskill Series, and facilitate merchant-specific webinars.

Administration and Contingency

Administration includes daily oversight and operation of the BID, adherence to the Management District Plan, and compliance with audit/reporting requirements. The BID, representing property owners and working closely with merchants, routinely advocates for the interests of the community regarding public safety, City services, and funding.

The assessments will also fund a contingency reserve that may be used to cover possible unforeseen future expenses and help to smooth out cash flows, which are affected by the timing of property owner payments. This category can also be used to support renewal expenses.

Term

If established, assessments would be collected for 10 years (July 1, 2021, through June 30, 2031). Expenditure of those collected assessments can continue for up to six months after the end of the assessment collection period (December 31, 2031), at which point the proposed Fruitvale BID would sunset if not renewed.

Summary of Annual Costs and Inflator