HONOLULU (KHON2) — The Honolulu City Council is working on implementing a new downtown business improvement district.
Bill 051 is being considered and has a second reading scheduled for Sept. 3. If it passes, it would require downtown businesses to contribute to a fund that provides supplemental city services for the area.
The bill was introduced by Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who represents the downtown district.
“Downtown is at a crossroads after the pandemic. Fewer workers are in the office, and as a result, the businesses catering to them are having a tough time. The other issues facing downtown are still there: homelessness and security, just to name a few,” Dos Santos-Tam said. “We want to do what Waikiki has done, which is to have a successful Business Improvement District, which would help to pay for additional security programs, maintenance and power washing, event coordination and more. This will really help to refresh and revitalize Downtown.”
Dos Santos-Tam admits that small businesses in the area were concerned about the financial impact it would have on them in two public meetings that were held last month.
“There’s a recognition that we have to do something to revitalize and liven our downtown. There have been some concerns about small businesses there. Can they afford to pay more? We’ve been talking to them and saying, well, part of why some people don’t want to go to downtown is concern about crime and security concerns about the hygiene and maintenance of streets,” he said. “If we start fixing these things, we can really start bringing life back.”
Another step he hopes will work is bringing more housing, and therefore residents, into downtown.
“One of the things we’ve been doing is encouraging office-to-residential conversions. There are several of these downtown towers that have huge vacancies,” Dos Santos-Tam said. “We convert these apartments, and when people live there, there’s a built-in customer base that will support your businesses.”
To testify on the bill, visit the city council’s website.