The PBID and the City of La Mesa’s proposed Downtown Village Streetscape Improvement Project are a well-considered partnership. The City already plans to invest more than a million dollars to address needed maintenance for the current sidewalks and landscaping in the downtown area. This is regardless of whether PBID becomes a reality.

However, if property owners elect to create the PBID, the City of La Mesa has committed to invest up to $5 million in a major rejuvenation of the downtown area—including parking, sidewalk, and landscaping redesigns, as well as lighting, and other amenities that will vastly improve the pedestrian-friendliness of the area. This is because the additional sanitation, maintenance, security, and promotional efforts established by the Downtown Village PBID will maintain and support these new features at a level significantly above the “baseline” level established by the City for all City properties. This is also significantly above the level they are/could be supported by the parking commission or the volunteer-based merchant’s association.