Dozens of North Avenue property owners have signed and filed a petition with the City of Wauwatosa seeking to block the creation of a proposed East Tosa Business Improvement District, or BID. If the petition prevails, it will be the second time in 11 years that proponents of an East Tosa BID have failed to rally the necessary support from the property owners who would pay for its operations.
Opponents of the bid filed their petition with the city clerk's office on Oct. 3 containing signatures representing 42 of the affected parcels, and two additional signatures were filed this week before the Oct. 8 deadline.
To succeed, the petition drive needed to mobilize the owners of properties representing at least 40% of the assessed value in the proposed district. Tosa Forward News obtained a copy of the petition and the list of properties and determined that opposition totals as much as 52%, though the documents don't include individual property values, only what the properties would pay in BID assessments.
Wauwatosa currently has only one Business Improvement District, in Tosa Village, under a state statute that allows property owners to form such organizations to levy taxes on participating nonresidential properties to be spent on paid staff, marketing and improvements within the district.
Advocates of the East Tosa BID have said it would establish a sustainable model for growth and vitality in the district and allow businesses collectively to advocate for safety and physical improvements and to market North Avenue beyond the neighborhood. Although opponents appear to have the numbers to stop it, proponents have some time left this month to try to persuade property owners to rescind their signatures, before city officials verify and validate the petition.
"We’re continuing to share as much information as possible with property owners during this limited timeframe, hoping it encourages some to reconsider," Anna Jarecki, owner of Nourish Skin and Sugar Studio at 6230 W. North Ave. and one of the BID organizers, told Tosa Forward News by email on Oct. 8.
Under the East Tosa district's proposed operating plan, nonresidential properties on North Avenue would be taxed at $1.50 per $1,000 in assessed value, up to a maximum of $5,000 each, to fund an annual BID budget of about $140,000, including a paid part-time director. It would not tax homeowners. The business improvement district would be governed by a board, similar to a nonprofit board, though it also needs city approval because its funding would be facilitated by the new tax collection within the district.
The previous BID proposal that failed in 2014 would have established the district within the same boundaries as the current proposal, including all properties along North Avenue between Wauwatosa Avenue and 60th Street.
Erik Anderson, owner of Tosa Insurance at 7206 W. North Ave. and the building it occupies, was one of the leaders of the 2014 effort to stop the BID. He again led the petition drive opposing the new BID proposal. Tosa Forward News reached out to him by email and will update this story upon receiving a response.
Here are a few takeaways:
- Of the 106 properties within the proposed BID's boundaries, 83 would be expected to pay the tax to support the BID budget. The owners of 44 of those parcels were opposed.
- The four parcels with the largest assessed values — and the only ones that would pay the maximum $5,000 — are Lutheran Home, Camp Bar, McDonald's and the Arcade Building at 7212 W. North Ave. None of those property owners signed the petition in opposition, though Lutheran Home had spoken out against being included in the BID levy.
- More than half of the opposition, based on the sum of BID assessments, came from 16 parcels, including five properties in the 6400 block of North Avenue, five properties in the 6500 block and three properties in the 6700 block.
- While the McDonald's property did not sign the petition in opposition, the Dairy Queen and KFC property owners did. As for paint stores, the owner of the Hallman Lindsay property opposed the BID, but Sherwin-Williams didn't sign. And at the corner of 69th Street, Cranky Al was a yes to the BID while Rocket Baby Bakery was a no.
David Paulsen, a Tosa East Towne resident and editor of Tosa Forward News, has more than 25 years of experience as a professional journalist. He can be reached at editor@tosanews.com.
