It sure looks to me that they are, in this expansion, surgically carving around a lot of single family residential and adding the majority of the additional fees to multifamily housing.
It’s ironic because the CC seems to listen more to those in the single family houses.
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Yeah, the gerrymandering going on in the Person St. area is particularly noticeable.
I don’t agree. Looks like they’re intentionally carving out the Single family homes standing alone (low density and not commercial) and putting only commercial properties and higher density areas to be part of the downtown municipal service area. Seems like the way it should be.
As others on the density and zoning topic have said, if you don’t like the things that come with where you live, you can always move. don’t want to be part of the municipal area that gets the extra tax, you don’t have to stay, can relo to a place that’s less dense and out of the downtown area that is taxed.
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…and therefore contributing extremely little value to the city while reaping many of the benefits that businesses and homes immediately adjacent to them are subsidizing for them.
Yeah, but people aren’t having to make that decision because for some reason they are getting excluded from having to pay even though they are surrounded by the service area.
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The ability to request an exclusion is by design. Here’s more info about how it works, since it sounds like you are both unfamiliar and unhappy with the policy. From the section of the website about “were any changes made”
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" Were any changes made after the initial community outreach?
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After these public engagement sessions, the proposed boundaries were adjusted to be responsive to feedback on where property owners did or did not want to be included. Among some of the changes based on community feedback:"
If you don’t agree with it, nobody’s stopping you from making efforts to make it mandatory. Not everyone loves government edicts, however.
The extra “services” provided to those in the district aren’t needed by private residential homeowners in lower density single family homes or people who don’t have a commercial use at their property. Larger complexes and commercial businesses and retailers benefit from the services this district was created for in the first place.
Before you demand “comply” to those you deem to have gerrymandered something, ask yourself why would a SFH owner opt in to paying for services targeted at:
“businesses and developments that either indirectly receive or have requested Downtown MSD or DRA services including marketing promotions, website, social media, problem solving support or advocacy.”
which is the whole purpose of this district along with extra security and exterior cleaning services.
Looks like they got this decision to allow “opt out” right to me, full stop.
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Yeah exactly. I was confused why anyone would be upset about other people wanting to opt out, much less acting like it’s something corrupt and bad that they have the option to.
If they wanted to do this in my neighborhood, I’d opt out. If they forced this on me in my SFH, I’d be pissed. Why would I want to pay a bunch of money for something that is meant to benefit commercial properties? So someone can come by once a month and pick up some litter?
The DRA’s next Downtown Rundown is on June 25 at 4pm.
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