Downtown tax district to be explained

A meeting scheduled for May 22 will be the first broad survey of downtown interests on a possible tax to improve services.

By SHARON BOND

© St. Petersburg Times, published May 10, 2000

ST. PETERSBURG -- An urban development consultant has been hired to explain how a special tax district could improve downtown services.

Such a district may be the ticket for improved transportation or increased security for downtown businesses and residents if the majority agrees to pay the extra levy.

Representatives from various downtown groups are bringing in Lawrence Houstoun of the Atlantic Group of Cranbury, N.J. He will talk about Business Improvement Districts, also known as Downtown Improvement Districts. Houstoun and his firm helped organize improvement districts in Jacksonville, Washington, D.C., and Columbus, Ohio.

"He really has spent a lot of years understanding downtown organizations and downtown groups," said Martin J. Normile, executive vice president of the St. Petersburg Downtown Development Partnership.

Former Times Publishing Co. executive Michael F. Foley will head the May 22 discussion at the Bayfront Center, which is an information meeting for representatives of downtown groups.

A public hearing will come later, according to John Warren, a downtown businessman who is chairman of a task force studying ways to improve the city's central business and residential core.

"We wanted to let the public know the process has begun," Warren said. "Not very much is known about Downtown Improvement Districts and what they can do. This is an opportunity for us to find out."

Houstoun is charging $1,800 plus travel expenses for his two days in St. Petersburg. That fee will be paid by various businesses and associations, the St. Petersburg Area Chamber of Commerce and the Downtown Partnership. Houstoun has proposed guiding St. Petersburg through the process of creating an improvement district if one is agreed upon. The fee for that would be $38,500.

Foley is not being paid for his services. He said he agreed to help "start the conversation" on improvement districts because of his "30 years of watching downtown. It has slowly but surely developed into something really interesting."

The May 22 meeting will represent the first broad survey of downtown interests on a special tax. It is too early in the process to have any idea how much the tax would be.

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