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El Cajon council directs workshop to study car show, PBID renewal and downtown investments
Summary
After reviewing the Downtown El Cajon Business Partners annual report, council directed staff to hold a workshop to explore car-show management, PBID renewal and possible boundary or governance changes, citing mixed business feedback and questions about return on investment.
The El Cajon City Council on Oct. 22 directed staff to schedule a dedicated workshop (likely in January) to study the downtown car show’s management and the upcoming PBID (Property and Business Improvement District) renewal.
Staff and the PBID’s general manager, Kathy Zeman, presented the annual report and audited financial statements and described three budget categories for the PBID: environmental enhancements (street cleaning, night security), economic enhancements (special events and business attraction) and management. Staff said $72,000–$80,000 of PBID funds are being spent annually on the downtown car show — roughly 35% of the economic enhancement allocation and about 13% of the overall PBID budget — and questioned whether the city is getting an adequate return on investment.
Zeman and council members noted the car show draws “a few thousand people every week” and that restaurant sales in downtown show a summertime bump; staff’s sales-tax consultant found a 14–15% summer increase for restaurant sales in downtown, though staff cautioned that multiple factors (concerts, seasonal patterns) could contribute. Council members recounted mixed anecdotal feedback from retailers: restaurants typically benefit, while some retail shops or service establishments reported closing on car-show nights.
Council member S9 urged exploring moving the car show to Parkway Plaza to give restaurants and families alternative access and to relieve Main Street congestion; staff replied that PBID assessments could not be used to fund an event on private mall property, though the mall or other partners could contribute. PBID representatives warned against structural changes that would disenfranchise small property owners if the board shifts to a broader business-improvement-district model.
Council agreed on several near-term directions: survey businesses and property owners, consider management changes (a more active consultant role), examine alternative locations or adjacent parking lots, analyze PBID boundary options, and convene a stakeholder workshop inviting business owners, property owners, the car-show manager and residents. The workshop is intended to produce options for council consideration ahead of the PBID renewal process in 2025.
