Property owners in Boyle Heights’ industrial corridor, near the 6th Street Bridge, are proposing a plan to fund private security, street cleaning and landscaping, a move that could dramatically change the way the area is maintained.
The proposed plan would include an area from 1st to 7th streets and between Mission Road, Clarence and Anderson streets where sound stations, film studios and warehouses sit next to the Pico Gardens public housing complex and a residential area near the Dolores Mission Church. Property owners say the city has failed to provide adequate services to keep the property clean and their workers safe. Meanwhile, some community advocates and nearby residents are wary of the area’s growing proliferation of entertainment venues, just across the Los Angeles River from the arts district, which has drawn crowds for electronic music festivals and special events like Olivia Rodrigo’s pop-up album release.
David DaCosta, of the 18-acre Ace*Mission Studios, is among those pushing for what’s known as a Business Improvement District, or BID, in what supporters call Boyle Heights Industrial Flats, which is near the river.
At a meeting at Dolores Mission Church in May, DaCosta praised the effort as an unusual private-public partnership that should be appreciated. “There is a natural relationship between all of us, a natural way for all of us to want to work together,” she said.
Not everyone is convinced. The proposal comes as Boyle Heights continues to grapple with controversy over immigration and who benefits from development. Proponents see privately funded services as a solution to neglected public safety. Opponents say that could eventually lead to an increase in police and police officers.
For Elizabeth Blaney, with the Union De Vecinos, the local branch of the Los Angeles Tenants Union, the BID will “put control of the public space in the hands of those businesses that are part of the BID.”
Business Development Districts are self-financing organizations that collect money through property taxes in a geographically defined area.
In this case, the proposed BID includes more than 160 parcels owned by more than 70 property owners in an area of ”flats” near a series of railroad tracks. The proposed tax would only apply to commercial property owners within the industrial district – not residents of adjacent apartments and single-family homes.
Property taxes collected through the BID would fund maintenance services, including weeding throughout the proposed district, and sanitation workers who would sweep trash and debris from sidewalks and gutters seven days a week.
Security services can be provided to “ensure that petty crime and vandalism are minimized” in the district, according to the BID plan. Supporters say they will work to “minimize the impact of homelessness” within the county by working with social services.
The funds will also support marketing efforts, website development and public relations campaigns to promote business and activities within the BID.
The Boyle Heights Industrial Flats BID will operate for five years, from January 2027 to December 2031, and is expected to generate $6.9 million during that period, approximately $1.2 million in its first year. If approved, the BID will be managed by a non-profit organization.
Residents and community members have mixed feelings about the proposal.
On the other hand, Boyle Heights residents like Margarita Amador see it as a victory “when someone in the community wants to invest to improve our quality of life.”
Amador grew up in the area during a time when gang violence was on the rise. “No one would want to come in on that side of town,” Amador said. Development and investment have changed the area for the better, he added. “We are not in a position to withdraw dollars,” he said.
Meanwhile, Ana Hernandez, a Pico Gardens resident, is wary of the stakeholders behind the BID proposal.
Businesses in the industrial area, he said, hold night events, including raves, which disrupt their quality of life. Residents complain about loud parties and music late into the night. Their dogs are scared, and they have to close the windows, said one neighbor.
“They don’t bring business to the community, what they want is income,” he said. “The rich are people who are not in society.”
Homeowners like Sylvia Sifuentes are not opposed to the BID.
Instead, Sifuentes wants residents who live near the proposed district to get clear information about how the plan will work and who it will affect. Sifuentes, 67, has lived near Dolores Mission since she was born and only recently found out about the proposed district.
The May meeting was his official introduction to the BID proposal. At first, Sifuentes misheard that homeowners like him would be taxed. He wondered why a tax was needed. The city, he said, already provides graffiti removal and trash pickup services.
The Union De Vecinos has organized a petition against the BID which the organizers claim has been signed by more than 300 people. The petition says the BID could contribute to rising rents and parking congestion.
Blaney, the group’s organizer, finds the BID problematic because property owners “will be able to decide what goes on there” instead of the community as a whole.
“They will be able to determine the beauty of the neighborhood,” he said. “They can decide who can hang out at any given hour on the street. They can hire guards on bikes and patrol cars, enforce and harass.”
Alfred Fraijo Jr., whose law firm Somos Group is helping with the BID creation process, said supporters are looking at “alternatives” to public safety. Fraijo, who is from Boyle Heights, acknowledged at the May meeting that communities like Boyle Heights have suffered from excessive policing.
He said providing better lighting would make the area more attractive and easy to navigate. “Having eyes on the road is the way to go,” he said. “We want to cooperate with organizations that are already doing good work [in] Boyle Heights, creating intersection safety for children crossing the street. “
Advocates such as Mark Borman of Bridge & Corner, which handles film production in the area, say the BID can address environmental issues that affect the welfare of their tenants.
“We are suffering [from] illegal dumping, often toxic materials,” Borman said at the May meeting.” “We have received no action, no street services. Our streets are not swept. Our buildings are tagged … every day. Our cars are broken into all the time.”
Borman said the property owners called the city’s 311 system but got no response. “As a local business owner, I have tenants … who tell me they don’t feel safe going to their cars after work,” he said.
For DaCosta, the BID can make all the difference in employee retention.
“As an employer, if you hire people and they drive early in the morning or work late … and if the environment is not safe and secure, it’s hard to hire people, and it’s hard to keep people,” DaCosta said. “Why would someone want to come to work in an unsafe place?”
The next proposal is from the city’s Economic Development and Jobs Committee on Tuesday.
If approved, it will go to the full City Council for consideration before ballots are sent to property owners within the district. After about 45 days, the city will tally those votes, and the City Council will decide whether to officially establish the district.
Molina writes to the LA Local, a non-profit news site covering Los Angeles communities.
