Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District Ballots Issued

Source: City of Santa Barbara

[On Tuesday] ballots were mailed to all the 115 parcel property owners in the proposed Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District to determine whether to form the property assessment district.

If a simple majority of the returned weighted ballots is received, the Coast Village CBID will be formed and enhanced services to the district will commence in 2023. Ballots are required to be submitted no later June 7, 2022 when the City Council will conduct a public hearing to open and count the submitted ballots. Jason Harris, the City’s Economic Development Manager said “The Coast Village Association has worked for decades to support the businesses and property owners in the area, the proposed Coast Village CBID is a significant step forward in their efforts for continued investment and improvements to this important neighborhood in the city.”

The Coast Village Association in conjunction with businesses and property owners in the area initiated efforts in 2020 to form a Coast Village Community Benefit Improvement District (Coast Village CBID). Community Benefit Improvement Districts are property-based assessment districts for the purpose of funding enhanced maintenance and improvements, marketing and other services that will benefit the district. To facilitate the creation of CBIDs the City adopted a local enabling ordinance and to assist Coast Village provided a $30,000 loan to the association to help cover some of the consultant expenses to prepare the formation documents. The Coast Village CBID area is comprised of approximately 5 to 6 square blocks consisting of 115 parcels owned by 94 property owners generally along the Coast Village Road and Los Patos Way area. The total first year assessment revenue in the proposed CBID  is $296,749 and would have an initial term of five years.

Per the local enabling ordinance, the Coast Village Association issued petitions in January, 2022 to all property owners in the proposed Coast Village CBID.  Signed petitions were received that met the minimum threshold were submitted by property owners in favor of moving the formation effort forward to a ballot vote. In response the City Council reviewed and adopted the management district plan and engineer’s report for the Coast Village CBID and directed the City Clerk to mail ballots.