La Verne : Business Levy Approved

Responding to a request from downtown merchants, the La Verne City Council has voted to establish a business improvement district. The ordinance, aimed at revitalizing a 15-block section in the old downtown area, authorizes the city to levy approximately $10,000 in assessment fees next year on the 73 businesses within the district, Planning Director Ken Farfsing said.

The assessments, based on a percentage either of sales revenue or business license fees, will range from $45 to $600 a year for commercial and retail stores and from $30 to $250 a year for business offices and wholesale outlets.

Although some merchants objected to the improvement district, Farfsing said, their combined fees accounted for only 13% of the total assessment revenue. To block the project, businesses accounting for more than 50% of the total revenue would have to object, he said.

Funds for the improvement district--bordered roughly by 5th Street on the north, Arrow Highway on the south, B Street on the west and F Street on the east--will be used mostly for advertising and promotional events.