Bid for BID: Trust must be established
Up for discussion again is the idea of forming a business improvement district in downtown Los Altos to fund more landscaping and maintenance.
It’s a major undertaking, requiring agreement among property and/or business owners about what needs to be done and, of course, financial commitments. Typically, BIDs, as they are called, identify one to three basic purposes. Execution of service is carried out by the city. Property and business owners pay annual fees based on lot sizes, among other factors.
A March 23 meeting with business and property owners, in which the city intended to convey BID options, didn’t go well. The city’s consultant didn’t convey the meeting’s purpose well enough, while some attendees were quick to pass judgment and assume the city is forcing a BID on downtown businesses.
It’s obvious that more trust needs to be established between the city and property/business owners for the BID concept to get beyond the informal discussion stages. The city says it doesn’t have the money to go beyond current basic services. Some think the city has the money but is holding back.
City officials are currently weighing what to do next. Herein may lie the problem: Property and business owners also should be pushing on this issue. Actions should go beyond complaining to working on viable solutions. The Chamber of Commerce and the Los Altos Village Association must play an active role in educating their memberships about BIDs and other potential solutions.
Only through teamwork and trust will BIDs and any other downtown improvement option ever see the light of day.
Westwind Barn needs a master plan
Is there an answer to the Westwind Barn conflict in Los Altos Hills? Something that could certainly help is the creation of a much-needed master plan for barn operations.
Surprisingly, the barn, owned by the town and managed by the group Friends of Westwind Barn, has never had such a plan declaring what its usage should be, what programs it should have and a timetable for facilities renovations. (Another group, Supporters of Westwind which sponsors the “Derby Days” event May 6, handles fund-raising and is not involved in the current conflict.)
The council’s ad hoc committee assigned to review barn operations called the barn’s current organizational structure “dysfunctional” and recommended that “an alternative governance structure be imposed more consistent with the management of other horse barns in the region.” An alternative structure is needed. But the town needs to be more specific in its direction as well. Certainly, a master plan would go a long way toward creating that specificity. Creation of a master plan will provide formal direction and ultimately, a solution to current problems.
