Committee sends Ocean Avenue Community Benefit District plan to full Board after mixed public comment

The committee heard a resolution of intent to establish the Ocean Avenue Community Benefit District (CBD), a property‑based business improvement district covering parcels along Ocean Avenue that would levy a multiyear assessment to fund enhanced services.

Office of Economic and Workforce Development staff summarized outreach dating to 2007, explained administrative corrections to parcel measurements and the management plan, and noted an amended engineer's report and a new ballot/hearing schedule. The proposed term on the record is 15 years, the final ballot hearing date was updated to November 16 at 3 p.m., and year‑one assessment revenue was estimated on the record as $239,578 after parcel corrections.

Speakers from the Ocean Avenue Revitalization Collaborative and multiple residents and property owners gave mixed testimony. Supporters, including long‑time residents and merchants, said the CBD would provide stable funding for cleaning, marketing, special events and safety collaborations and help newly planned developments draw customers to the corridor. Opponents — including property‑owner association representatives — said notices to property owners were insufficient, questioned whether the required percentage of property‑owner petitions had been met and argued the district would duplicate city services and add a cost to property owners.

After public comment the committee accepted the amended management plan and other changes "as a member of the whole" and sent the resolution of intent forward to the full Board with a recommendation; the committee did not record a roll‑call vote at the hearing.