ida award submission 2013

7/27/2019 IDA Award Submission 2013

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The Downtown Oakland &Lake Merritt/Uptown

Community Benefit Districts(CBDs)

2013

Downtown Leadership andManagement


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The Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt/Uptown Community BenefitDistricts (CBDs) were launched in February 2009 after property ownersvoted to support a voluntary property tax to fund services that wouldimprove the quality of life in downtown and uptown Oakland. Theassociations are governed by a talented and experienced board ofdirectors and are jointly administered by an engaged and committedstaff.

The districts are committed to revitalizing Oaklands historic downtownby maintaining cleanliness and order in the public rights-of-way,improving district identity, building community, promoting businessattraction, fostering cultural opportunities, creating and maintainingnew public spaces, and advocating on behalf of the district

stakeholders.

Our commitment:


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Both of the CBDs work with property owners, the City of Oakland, and many otherorganizations to help fund and execute programs that provide much needed, highlyvisible improvements. A number of working committees and task forces set directionand oversee the execution of CBD initiatives. The primary committees include theSidewalk Operations Beautification Order (SOBO) committee, overseeing theAmbassador program, beautification projects, and other capital improvements; theDistrict Identity and Streetscape Improvement (DISI) committee, managing thebranding, advertising, and public relations of the districts as well as the sponsorship of

community events; and the Organization (ORG) committee, handling all mattersrelated to district administration.

Our leadership/management/team:


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Provided 6,376 safety escorts Provided 706 umbrella escorts Made 21,889 business contacts

Assisted 2,811 motorists Assisted 24,299 pedestrians Collected 9,272 bags of trash Abated 2,677 instances of graffiti Devoted 19,552 hours to keeping

the public rights of way free andclear of blight

Our Ambassadors:Hospitality & Maintenance


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Back of BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) Planters:With the support and collaboration of BART, the Districts installed 24planters at BART entrances along Broadway, between 8th and 20thStreets. The impact of these new planters to enhance important pointsof arrival along the public rights of way has been tremendous.

Hanging Plant Baskets:220 hanging plant baskets line light poles from Broadway and alongGrand Avenue, 20th Street and 19th Street. Our hanging basketstransform the cityscape into a softer more beautiful environment for allvisitors to the districts.

Beautification projects:


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Big Belly Solar Waste andRecycling Stations:

The districts installed 11 solar-powered Big Belly SolarWaste and Recycling Stations

on high traffic street cornerswhich hold more trash than anormal garbage can andoffer a recycling option.Each of the 11 stationsprovide both real-time andhistorical trash collectiondata and digitally alerts

district staff when the trashcompactors need to beemptied (saving precioustime and recourses).

Beautification projects cont


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The Lake Merritt/Uptown and Downtown OaklandCommunity Benefit Districts (CBDs) unveiled the first phaseof their district beautification program to enhance thepublic rights of way in 2011. Among many significant

changes, the CBDs unveiled the refurbished antique artdeco clock at the corner of 17th Street and Broadway.

http://vimeo.com/23923093



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Median Landscaping:

Exemplifying the important public-private partnership betweenthe City of Oakland and the districts, city and district staffworked together closely to create and then expand theencroachment permit that paved the way for landscaping of2,319 linear feet of medians through the downtown corridoralong Broadway and Grand Avenue.

Street Level Planters:District managers combined their love of plants with theirpassion for Oakland to coordinate the planting and installationof 15 street-level planters on strategic corners throughout thedistrict.



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Farleys Parklet:

What is a parklet? A parklet is a small public urban parkoften created by replacing several parallel parking spaceswith patios, planters, trees, benches, caf table and chairs,fountains, artwork, bicycle parking, etc. In 2013, the LakeMerritt/Uptown District Association, along with Farleys Eastcaf and members of the community, help fund the

Farleys East parklet.



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We have always known that downtown had all of theelements to attract new residents, new businesses andvisitors alike to our urban center. As is happening inother great cities, the development and managementof public spaces has become increasingly important inestablishing a welcoming pedestrian environment.

Future public space planned improvement areasinclude:

Franklin Square 13th Street Endblock Latham Square

Future public space plans


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Peralta Services Corporation:In their effort to revitalize Oakland, the CBDs selected PSC, an Oakland-based company with a social mission, as their maintenance service provider.

Both the districts and PSC prioritize providing employment opportunities tolocal residents. Since this collaboration began in 2009, PSC has been able tofill 11 full time, benefited positions with Oakland residents.

Block by Block:

Block by Block provides safety, cleaning, hospitality, and outreach solutionsfor downtown improvement districts. Since they began providing services toimprovement districts more than fifteen years ago, they recognized the

importance of selecting not just hard working people, but friendly, engagingpeople to staff our Ambassador teams.

OVM:

Oakland Venue Management (OVM) oversees and manages the day-to-day operations of the Downtown Oakland and Lake Merritt/Uptown District

Associations. OVM provides three full time CBD management positions:District Manager, District Service Manager and the Office and OperationsManager as well as one, half time Administrative Assistant position.

Company profiles:


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This is an exciting time in Downtown and Uptown Oakland, andthe District Associations are proud to play a role in the growth andrevitalization that has commanded national and even internationalattention, as we endeavor always to meet and exceed the diverseand evolving needs of our district stakeholders. On behalf of theBoards of Directors, we hope you find this informative andenlightening.

Sincerely,Deborah Boyer(left)Deborah Boyer

Lake Merritt/Uptown District Association

andMichelle Lane (right)Michelle Lane

Downtown Oakland Association

In closing:

ida award submission 2013

Documents