Debate Aside, SID to Expand to Garwood Border

A divided Cranford Township Committee expanded the special improvement district to the Garwood line on South Avenue and around to the Chase Bank property line at North and Lincoln avenues at a special meeting Wednesday.

The vote split three in favor, two against, as commissioners questioned what property owners would get out of paying the SID assessment fee, and whether the extra marketing revenue should go to the Downtown District Management Corporation or the affected businesses.

"It strikes me as power grab," said Commissioner David Robinson, who voted against the SID expansion. "The initial sid was for improvements in the downtown area, mainly capital improvements. If we expand without the benefit of capital improvements, I question what property owners will get for it."

Commissioner Mark Dugan didn't feel the planned changes to the SID were as fleshed out as they needed to be.

"What do we want to be? Then we can start strategizing on how to get there," he said, adding that he had yet to hear any real discussion about the future of the DMC amid off-topic bickering. "I don't know if [the sid has] refined its purpose. I'm not comfortable expanding it because I don't think it has the direction I would like to see it have."

Property owners in the special district pay an additional assessment fee, which goes toward economic revitilization and marketing headed by the DMC. There are about 200 properties currently within the SID. The Township Committee and DMC have dscussed expanding the SID since the 1990s.

"This is an incremental step," said Mayor Mark Smith, who voted for the expansion. It is additional revenue for the DMC to work with. It's an experiment, then you take a gigantic step to getting rid of it or expanding it more."

He went on to explain that there are businesses inside the SID that pay assessments when their neighbors outside the SID pay nothing. SID expansion would level out that disadvantage and would bring in additional funding for marketing and other downtown improvement efforts.

"But that opens up whole lot of other questions, like effective marketing, staffing, maybe bringing additional outside help," said Robinson. "Depending on where you draw the line there will always be businesses outside of it."

Dugan suggested that all the businesses affected could vote on where to spend the assessment funds, removing the Township Committee from the equation.

"They have a better idea of where the funds need to go," he said.

Deputy Mayor Martha Garcia supported the expansion, pointing out that the DMC budget is limited.

"We can't possibly do everything necessary to move the downtown ahead with the budget that we currently have," she said.

DMC Chairman Michael Plick said he is "handcuffed by the budget." He went on to emphasize the need for long term goals before strategy.

"We have talked over last 18 months about changing the formula of the SID, making it almost a stockholder arrangement to expand to all commercial props," said Plick. "This is a quick fix. It's a band-aid over a bigger problem. We need to evaluate what the long-term fix is. This kind of hanging in limbo has gone on for long enough."

"I would be in favor of seriously expanding [the SID] if the entire ordinance was completely changed," said Dugan. "I think the DMC should have a long term and short term marketing plan possibly through an outside marketing firm. The town, not the businesses should be marketed. The DMC board should also be given more authority in terms of how they spend their money, but also with certain structures in the ordinance designating funds to go to certain projects we think are lacking."

DMC Director Kathleen Prunty agreed that Cranford should be working toward goals for next year, five years, and 10 years from now.

"The SID is to promote economic development, improve rateables for benefit of the municipality," she said. "You don't need to change the ordinance, it is all there. In my mind, why you would expand the SID is because there are opportunities on that stretch for improvement. What has to change is the real long-term understanding of what you want to happen here."

Paul LaCorte, Cranford resident, former mayor, business owner and DMC Board member, suggested expanding the sid and immediately streetscaping outside the new sid properties.

"Marketing may be the right thing to do, but property owners like to see brick and mortar first," he said. "Do something that not only the property owners can see, but those driving into Cranford can see."

Frank Krause, a Cranford resident and businessman, warned against expanding the SID, offering instead to develop the sid as it currently exists.

"It would take a lot of effort, lot of expense to expand the SID" he said. "You should take that effort and develop the boundaries of the sid until there's no empty stores there. For us to expand it would only compete with the existing area of the SID."

Vote: Dan Aschenbach, yes; David Robinson, no; Mark Dugan, no; Mark Smith, yes; Martha Garcia, yes.