he readers of LA Downtown News have spoken: The Historic Core has the best business improvement district in the area for the second consecutive year.
The Historic Core Business Improvement District (BID) proudly announced that it was voted Best Business Improvement District in 2013 by readers of LA Downtown News. This marks the second year in a row that it was awarded this distinction, despite the fact that the Historic Core has one of the smallest geographic areas of any Downtown LA BID.
According to LA Downtown News, “Spring Street is flush with new businesses, a new park and a farmers market that survived the growing pains of its first year. And that’s just Spring! The entire Historic Core seems energized, and the BID, which operates cleaning and safety programs, is one of its cornerstones.”
“It’s truly an honor to be named the best Business Improvement District for the second year in a row,” said Blair Besten, Executive Director. “We’ve made every effort to make Historic Downtown more pleasant and exciting, and while we’re very proud to have received this distinction, we’re even prouder to have accomplished many goals for the district in 2012 and 2013.”
Cleaning Up Los Angeles
Cleaning and straightening up the district is certainly one of its most notable achievements. In 2012, the BID successfully removed 2,025,725 pounds of trash from the district by cleaning up cans, sweeping sidewalks and addressing illegal dumping in the area.
But that’s just the beginning. In addition to eliminating trash, the BID also painted over 7,600 graffiti tags, hauled away more than 4,080 bulky items, and pressure washed 528 hours. Additionally, over 70 trees were trimmed by the BID staff this year alone.
The Historic Core is also a much safer place thanks to the BID’s diligence in addressing service calls. According to Besten, they answer more than 800 calls each month, some of which include: transient activity, thefts, auto and bicycle accidents, and illegal vending.
Organizing Events and Teaming Up with Other LA Entities
The HDBID has also joined forces with several groups and entities in Los Angeles to organize projects and activities in the district. Such partnerships include:
– Teaming up with LAPD on various criminal task forces
– Coordinating with City services for area issues that would have otherwise taken months
– Working with CD 14 on the LA Streetcar, Bringing Back Broadway, and other initiatives that directly benefit the Historic Core
-Working with the Historic Downtown Merchants’ Association to nurture small businesses in the area
The BID was also responsible for bringing the first weekend farmers market to Downtown LA, and it continues to pay for permits, cleanup, safety, and promotion of the event week after week.
About the Best of Downtown Awards
Best of Downtown is Los Angeles Downtown News’ compendium of the most excellent establishments in the area. The publication has been running it for the past 25 years, with each year bringing more participation than the last. For 2013, all the voting took place online from May 4 to 25. More than 3,400 people voted for their favorite establishments in over 130 categories.
