Goleta has been slowly adding parking and sidewalks to Old Town as well as alleviating the flooding that comes from San Jose Creek (the flooding from San Pedro Creek at Fairview is another matter), but a property tax is being proposed to take other small steps forward. The City Council has a Property Business Improvement District (PBID) on the agenda for Tuesday evening, and as in any tax, opposing sides are forming.
The Goleta Chamber of Commerce has been working with a contractor, Civitas, to find a way to improve Old Town over the past three years. It’s willing to put up $31,000 to fund a study and outreach to get the ball rolling on a PBID, including more in-depth surveys of the Old Town community to learn what improvements the property owners — who will pay the tax — believe are necessary. The city staff report indicates about 25 percent of properties are currently owner-occupied. The contract would require the city to chip in $25,000.
Old Town’s potential assessment zone was mapped during the chamber’s early research. The area, which Goleta Chamber President Kristen Miller emphasized has not been determined for the actual PBID, could go from about Fairview to Patterson, and from the railroad tracks to the industrial areas south of Hollister Avenue, encompassing about 340 properties. Only business properties would be in the PBID, including multi-unit rental complexes. The city staff report states the conversation thus far has been about “clean and safe activities; marketing, business development, and economic development activities; and parking solutions.”