Council Member dos Santos Tam introduced Bill 51 (2025) to amend the Fourth Street Mall Special Improvement District; the Committee on Zoning and Planning amended the bill to CD1 and recommended it for passage on second reading and the scheduling of a public hearing.

Chris Fong, senior investment associate with Win Capital, presented the district organizers’ work and updates. Fong told the committee the BID concept grew from a year of conversations among about 40 major downtown landowners and that organizers held two town halls on Aug. 12 and Aug. 14 to reach smaller property owners and businesses. “There was a lot of discussion, but it seemed like from us that it was just Q and A and that there was broad community support for this concept,” Fong said, adding the stakeholders hope to implement the district in the 2026 tax year.

Supporters in the chamber and remotely described the district as a way to fund supplementary services — patrol officers, street cleaning, activation and marketing — governed by stakeholders in the district. Warren Wong, a property manager and director for the Fort Street Mall Special Improvement District, said the expansion would create a “safe, clean, and hospitable environment” for property owners, tenants and visitors. Ed Korobiske, executive director of the Fort Street Mall BID, Jason Norrego (hotel general manager), small‑business owners and residents spoke in favor.

Managing Director Michael Formby said the city supports the community‑driven initiative; when asked whether the Department of Budget and Fiscal Services could bill and collect assessments, Formby said yes. The organizers and the managing director noted a proposed assessment rate of $0.75 per $1,000 of assessed value; speakers said existing Fourth Street BID members currently pay about $0.95 per $1,000, so the proposed rate would reduce assessments for current members.

The committee amended the bill to a hand‑carried CD1 and the chair recommended reporting Bill 51 CD1 out for passage on second reading with a public hearing. The transcript records the chair’s recommendation and the committee’s assent; the committee ordered the amendment and the report‑out with no recorded roll‑call in the transcript.

Next steps: Scheduling of the public hearing and a second‑reading vote on the Council floor. The organizers said they will continue outreach and distribute bylaws upon request; the final budget, board composition and parcel lists will be posted to organisers’ materials and the city’s committee record for review by affected landowners.