Hey, hope everyone had a swell Christmas.

 

I have a quick question for those involved in neighborhood/urban development issues...

 

Preservation Ohio is currently working with a non-profit to establish a residential neighborhood-based SID (special improvement district) in a medium-sized Ohio community.  SIDs are self-taxing districts that are run by non-profit corporations with trustees coming from affected property owners, and have the general authority to undertake any public improvement work that a municipality can do.

 

SIDs have been in place in center-city commercial areas for a decade or more -- Downtown Dayton had the first, I believe -- and now they are everywhere, from the Short North in Columbus and Coventry Village in Cleveland to downtowns as small as Bowling Green and Lancaster.

 

That said, though, I am unaware of a SID in place which involves only residential property.  We may be dealing with the first one of its kind in Ohio.

 

This non-profit neighborhood association has all sorts of ideas about what it wants to accomplish -- ranging from traditional public works projects such as traffic calming, tree planting and neighborhood patrols, to ideas as creative as providing bricks-and-mortar funding for actual rehab projects and an aggressive receivership program.  We are also exploring a Rehabarama in this neighborhood for 2007, and this mechanism could provide partial funding.  There is also a strong drive to bring in experts with a New Urbanism bent to lead the neighborhood on an exploration of possibilities.

 

My question is whether anyone on this fine forum is aware of a comparable, neighborhood-based Ohio SID.

 

Thanks a million for any leads.

 

Thomas/presOhio

The City of Cleveland has about 50 CDCs (community development corporations), but as far as I know they all deal with a range of issues -- retail, workforce development, housing, etc. I don't know of any that deal only with housing, or that are located in an exclusively residential area. Is that what you're asking?

Nope -- CDCs and SIDs are not the same animal...

 

A Special Improvement District is a quasi-governmental entity that is established under the Ohio Revised Code, and can propose a plan(s) for public services to a municipal government.  The municipality then does a special tax assessment on all of the affected property owners to pay for that plan.

 

This is how, for instance, downtown programs are funded in Lancaster and Bowling Green.  The Downtown Dayton Partnership's main source of funding is their Downtown Special Improvement District (http://downtowndayton.org/ddp/sid/whatsasid.html).

 

My gut feeling is that there are no neighborhood SIDs in Ohio, but we are looking to see if it has a real benefit for local neighborhood organizations -- or even CDCs.

 

Thomas/PresOhio

 

 

I do not know of any SID's but I do know of many BID's some of which fall in business/residential urban areas. Here is a link I keep bookmarked on my computer for BID's, I do not know if this helps or not.  http://web.mit.edu/11.204/www/webportfolio/BID/

 

Wait, found one;

Coventry Village Special Improvement District

www.coventryvillage.org

c/o 1824 Coventry Road

Cleveland Heights, OH 44118

(216) 566-0927

Fax: (216) 321-8377

 

And try High Street in Columbus, it appears that a SID is set up there also in conjuction with a BID

 

    Pardon me for making comparisons with new subdivisions, but it sounds similar to a Homeowner's Association. The HOA is usually set up by a developer prior to the homes being built, so it's different in that regard. The HOA collects fees, enforces rules, builds improvements and takes care of maintenance, has an elected director,  etc. I'm not sure what happens if someone doesn't pay the fee, though, and since HOA's are new, I wonder what the long term effect might be.

 

    I'm all for local control of taxes. In fact, I think some Ohio neighborhoods suffer because their tax money is diverted to high-profile projects in downtown areas instead of making less glamorous improvements in the neighborhoods.

 

    Let us know how it goes!

Downtown Cleveland recently started a Business Improvement Distrct (same as a SID?), but the first BID in Cleveland was in Playhouse Square, according to:

http://urban.csuohio.edu/economicdevelopment/knight/tools/capital/finance.htm

 

Which notes:

 

- Cleveland Theatre District Development Corporation, Cleveland, Ohio

 

The Cleveland Theatre District Development Corporation (CTDDC) was created in 1995 to keep the theater district clean, safe and well marketed. The organization was an outgrowth of the Committee for the Improvement of Playhouse Square, a group that had been meeting since 1990 to address concerns about the condition of the theater district. In 1998, CTDDC received authorization from the city to operate as a BID. The ability to collect revenue from area property owners has helped CTDDC meet its key objects, which are to develop a collective marketing strategy, provide planning and design services and contract for additional maintenance and security services. Fact sheet provided by Cleveland Theatre District Development Corporation.

Bid is a business improvement dist. and a SID is a special improvement dist. usually for residential however some cases there are mixed use properties and could fall into either one.

Hey, everybody... I really appreciate the input.

 

It leads me to believe that we are tackling the first of its kind in Ohio -- but to me, that is an exciting consideration.  The local neighborhood association is in the beginning stages of creating the SID -- once it is in place, I will let you know.

 

Thanks again!

 

Thomas/presOhio