Fashion District Renewal Gains Majority Support

The Los Angeles Fashion District Business Improvement District is on its way to being renewed for another four years after a majority of the represented ownership of the district signed petitions in support of the renewal.

BIDs are financed by property owners and provide specialized businesses with services such as security, refuse hauling and marketing. The Los Angeles Fashion District BID’s jurisdiction has grown exponentially over the past few years.

Fashion District Executive Director Kent Smith on Jan. 16 confirmed the petition approval by remaining business owners, who at first rejected joining the BID. The property owners are located in a 16-block area around the popular shopping area Santee Alley and extending east to Stanford and Towne avenues, where new showroom centers such as the Stanford Wholesale Mart have been built. These centers have been catering to juniors and accessories business, and they sometimes have been known to open their doors to the public.

The petition will be presented to the Los Angeles City Council, which is expected to authorize a ballot vote by the end of the month, Smith said.

The business owners who had rejected the petition at first argued for the need for more marketing of their discount-oriented businesses. They later agreed to form a second district and then merge both areas into one district.

“It’s a challenging process, but we hope to have everything completed by the end of the month,” Smith said. “This came as a result of the board and renewal committee getting out there and talking to their peers and making a case. It was the interest of everyone to support the renewal.”

The renewal also includes the annexation of additional property on Broadway and east of Crocker Street. Upon approval, the Fashion District will consist of a 115-square-block area. —Robert McAllister