The Westwood Business Improvement District, a non-profit organization tasked with improving the state of Westwood Village, was renewed last month for another three-year term.
Property owners who pay fees to support the organization voted last month for the renewal, approving it by more than 75 percent, said Andrew Thomas, executive director of the BID.
Of 47 ballots submitted, nine were against renewal, according to the city clerk’s report. Because some property owners own multiple properties and can submit multiple ballots, only six people voted against the renewal, Thomas said.
The organization will now operate until the end of 2016, when property owners in Westwood will decide again whether to renew its contract with the city.
The BID was created by property and business owners in August 2011 to provide Westwood Village with functions the City of Los Angeles could not provide. This is the first time the BID has been up for renewal since its founding.
Those who voted against the renewal could not be reached after several attempts to contact them. Thomas said property owners voted against the renewal for various reasons. Some disagreed with how the district assessed property values for voting purposes, and others did not want to pay extra money for the organization’s services.
If property owners had not voted to renew the BID, it would have expired at the end of this year, Thomas said.
The organization hires maintenance crews to clean sidewalks and trim trees and offers public service ambassadors who patrol streets and assist police. It also addresses parking issues and has developed a brand for the village.
The renewal process began earlier this year, when the city approved the BID’s management plan outlining the services it planned to provide in the new term and dozens of property owners signed a petition to support its renewal, Thomas said.
Once the BID proved to the city that property owners were interested in its renewal, the city gave property owners six weeks to submit ballots, Thomas said.
The day after ballots were counted, the Los Angeles City Council approved a motion to continue the BID.
The organization’s efforts to improve the village aim to entice businesses to move to the area, said Elizabeth Riddick, senior property manager for Topa Management Company, which Riddick said is the largest landowner in Westwood.
“When I grew up, Westwood was the place to be; it was always alive and bubbling with people,” Riddick said. “What the (BID) is doing, is working to bring back that feeling to Westwood.”
She said the organization is revitalizing Westwood by working to make it more clean, safe and beautiful for merchants and customers.
Riddick said she thinks all her company’s properties in Westwood will benefit from the renewal because businesses will be more willing to operate in a revitalized village.
Jessica Dabney, a property owner and chair of the BID, said she supported renewal because the organization improves the image of Westwood, which could eventually allow property owners to charge higher rents.
“I understand that it’s hard to voluntarily agree to pay more taxes,” she said. “It will take some time for some people to see the value of the BID for their business.”
Dabney said she hopes the BID will help to reduce vacancies in Westwood and improve the local economy through its work during the next three years by making Westwood a more business-friendly area.
Thomas said the BID will focus more on communications and business development in 2014, to provide more outreach to businesses. He said the BID is also working on comprehensive signage and parking programs in the village.