Cook: Downtown Chattanooga is not Disney – say no to Business Improvement District

Buildings inside a proposed Business Improvement District are seen on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The proposed district would encompass downtown Chattanooga from the Riverfront to 11th Street and from U.S. Highway 27 to different areas bordered by Cherry Street, Lindsay Street and Georgia Avenue. Buildings inside a proposed Business Improvement District are seen on Tuesday, April 16, 2019, in Chattanooga, Tenn. The proposed district would encompass downtown Chattanooga from the Riverfront to 11th Street and from U.S. Highway 27 to different areas bordered by Cherry Street, Lindsay Street and Georgia Avenue.

By David Cook July 28, 2019 4 min read

Downtown Chattanooga’s proposed Business Improvement District is a wolf in sheep’s clothing.

Promising cleaner and safer streets – who wouldn’t want that? – the business improvement district, or BID, seems more like urban seduction, promising gains without mentioning the damaging costs.

A BID is an undemocratic and morally questionable form of urban renewal. By creating a private board of unelected members – major commercial property owners, condo residents, hotel owners and so on – the BID effectively becomes a quasi-government, able to raise fees, or taxes, while shaping the downtown experience in its own image.

Property owners pay a fee to form a $1 million fund that provides a menu of enhanced services. The proposed ordinance gives a list:

“Maintenance and cleaning.”