PBID Renewal

Property-Based Improvement District Renewal

Taking PBID services to the next level

Established in August 2007 and managed by the San Jose Downtown Association, the Property-Based Improvement District (PBID) (map) provides a way to help pay for downtown cleaning and beautification projects. These include popular Groundwerx cleaning and ambassadors programs and lighting up the Circle of Palms and the micro-retail space MOMENT at Market & San Pedro Square garage.

Property owners within the district have two opportunities to vote on the proposed services and boundaries, which would start services July 1, 2022. First, property owners receive a petition and draft management plan that outlines the boundaries, services and costs of the proposed district. The petition requires a majority vote to proceed to the ballot. If the petition is successful, ballots are then provided to property owners with anticipated assessment rates for their parcel(s) for the first year of the district. If the ballot phase of the process receives a majority vote from owners, the City Council can then ratify the district renewal.

Where we are in the process

As of May 2022, the San Jose Downtown Property Owners Association (SJDPOA) has entered the ballot phase of the renewal process, which means it is property owners’ final opportunity to vote for the new 10-year district which includes boundary changes, new services and an expansion of the popular Groundwerx services.

Ballots have been mailed directly to property owners from the Office of the City Clerk. Below is an image of the ballot document.

Ballots must be received by the Office of the City Clerk no later than 1:30 p.m. on June 7, 2022. Ballots can be mailed via USPS, and should be sent in no later than June 1. Ballots can be hand delivered to the Office of the City Clerk at the City Clerk’s office at 200 E Santa Clara Street, San José, California by the June 7 deadline.

For questions on the ballot document, please contact Thomas Borden, City of San Jose Department of Public Works, (408) 535-6831.

For questions about the PBID renewal process, proposed service additions and changes, please contact:

Chloe Shipp
Director of Public Space Operations
cshipp@sjdowntown.com

Nathan Ulsh
Director of Policy and Operations
nulsh@sjdowntown.com

PBID and Renewal Info

PBID Petition Newsletter

Proposed District Map

DRAFT Engineer's Report

February 2022
Downtown Dimension

10 Year Report

Frequently Asked Questions

Watch our Feb. 10 public meeting

The New District

Evergreen Services

These services are the PBID’s bread and butter, and will continue on with the new district. Many of the services listed below will have increased staffing and funding, allowing for greater capacity to serve downtown.

- Groundwerx Clean and Safe Services:
  – Trash and debris removal
  – Graffiti abatement
  – Pressure washing and mechanical cleaning
  – Safety ambassadors
  – Safety escorts within the district
  – Collaboration with downtown homeless service providers
- Business development services that help small businesses navigate the City and County permitting processe
- Landscaping and enhanced maintenance, including tree trimming and tree care, planters, hanging baskets, removing damaged tree grates
- Beautification projects, including murals, decorative lighting and temporary art installations
- Off-duty SJPD officers focused on quality of life issues and connecting with storefront business owners
- Street Life capital projects like the MOMENT retail shops, dog parks and pocket parks

New and Bolstered Services

The new district will be focused on bolstering our successful services like the Groundwerx Clean and Safe Program, focusing on innovation and increased communications, and allowing for flexibility as the downtown grows over the next decade. This includes:

- - Increased Groundwerx capacity, including a dedicated painter to tackle graffiti, a full-time dispatcher to streamline internal deployment and communications, and higher staffing levels for cleaning ambassadors, safety ambassadors and pressure washers.
  - A new five-person Social Impact Team that focuses on connecting with the unsheltered population downtown, creating trust and connecting individuals with service providers. This team will respond directly to member concerns, support Groundwerx staff, and coordinate with City, County and non-profit service providers on effective outreach and service delivery. The Social Impact Team will be reachable via the Groundwerx dispatch number, and when fully staffed, will be in the field 7 days a week.
  - A Research and Data Analyst to help understand and analyze trends that are relevant to business and property owners, as well as help streamline PBID operations.

Testimonials

From a business owner, a property owner and a residence owner.

The PBID helps fund lots of key services that many residents probably assume are City funded but are actually from the PBID. Keeping the downtown core clean is the most visible activity and the one that gets universal praise. The PBID helps ensure that what we think of as Downtown has a uniform cleanliness. In addition their support also extends to public safety services that benefit both residents and business owners.

PBID is a resource for our downtown San Jose property team for site cleanliness and added public safety to our tenants and guests. Each division is responsive and takes pride in our downtown area.

Working with the PBID team and Groundwerx has given me peace of mind, knowing that there are people that can help with keeping downtown safe, supporting small businesses and adding vibrancy to our streets. I was able to work with the PBID team on getting a beautiful mural on Mezcal's wall, their support was so helpful.

Steering Committee Members

Jeff Arrillaga, Urban Community
Brian Bates, Community Representative
Nicolle Burnham, City of San Jose
Sara de la Riva, Rubicon Point Partners
Sheela Jivan, Google

Ted McMahon, Bayview Development
John Ristow, PBID Board Member, City of San Jose
Emily Ruvalcaba, SJDA Board Member, Bridge Bank
John Tortora, Community Member
Blage Zelalich, PBID Board Member, City of San Jose

PBID Board Members

Executive Committee

President
Chris Freise, REDCO Development

Vice President
Blage Zelalich, City of San Jose

Treasurer
Ted McMahon, Bayview Development

Secretary
Dan Phan, Original Gravity, Paper Plane and MINIBOSS (tenant representative)

Board Members

Benjamin Egge, Essex Property Trust
Eric Kline, Adobe
Christy Mabry, SWENSON
John Ristow, City of San Jose
Sara de la Riva, Rubicon Point Partners
Wolfram Schneider, Resident Representative
John Southwell, Marriott San Jose