The City Council Committee on Zoning and Planning on July 28 postponed action on Bill 51 (2025), which would expand the Fourth Street Mall Special Improvement District into a revised Downtown Honolulu Special Improvement District, to the committee’s August 21 meeting to allow required public-notification time before a public hearing.

Council member Tyler Dos Santos Tam introduced the bill and a hand-carried CD1 that contains three amendments: one to the mission statement to emphasize public–private sector collaboration, a requirement that the nonprofit submit an annual data request to the Real Property Assessment Division, and a requirement that the BID’s first-year budget be based on current revenue projections. Dos Santos Tam said postponement would give stakeholders more time to review CD1 and prepare for a public hearing tentatively scheduled for Sept. 3.

Chris Fong, senior investment associate at Tradewind Capital and a volunteer lead on the BID, told the committee the effort grew from a year-long outreach to about 40 major downtown landowners and working committees focused on safety, cleanliness, activation of public space, civic relations and governance. He said the BID model was chosen to create a nonprofit to govern the district and provide a funding mechanism for supplementary services.

Council staff noted the Revised Ordinances of Honolulu require owners and lessees of properties proposed for inclusion to be mailed notice at least 15 days before scheduling a public hearing; that notice could not be met for an August 9 meeting. The chair therefore recommended postponement to Aug. 21 to allow proper notification and time for the committee to report the bill out for second reading and schedule the Sept. 3 hearing.

Proponents of the BID — including the Fort Street Mall PID board, Tradewind volunteers, property owners and tenants — delivered multiple in-person testimonies in favor, citing examples such as Waikiki’s BID programs for power washing, “Aloha ambassadors,” security, and activation events. Supporters said the Downtown BID would fund similar supplementary maintenance and safety services and emphasized continued outreach, including two town halls scheduled for Aug. 12 (businesses) and Aug. 14 (residents).

Administration testimony included Managing Director Mike Formby, who said the administration supports the community-led initiative and emphasized that the BID is intended to complement, not replace, city services. Formby and other witnesses also noted flexibility to expand the BID later if neighboring businesses express interest.

The chair recommended postponing Bill 51 to Aug. 21; committee members voiced no objections and the bill was tabled to that date to meet the 15-day notification requirement.