Corporate Office ▪ 710 W. Ivy St. ▪ San Diego, CA 92101 ▪ 619-233-5009 ▪ Fax 619-239-7105 New England Office: 42 Pearl Street ▪ New Bedford, MA ▪ 02740 [email protected] ▪ www.newcityamerica.com ▪ Facebook: New City America, Inc.
March 24, 2025
Savita Chaudhary
Assistant City Manager
City of Fairfield
1000 Webster Street Fairfield, CA
94533
Sent via e-mail: [email protected]
SUBJECT: Proposal for the Investigation of a New Downtown Fairfield Property Assessment District (Community Benefit Improvement District)
Dear Ms. Chaudhary:
Thank you for reaching out to me regarding the discussion on the improvement of Downtown Fairfield and a possible new property assessment district to aid the City in the improvement to Downtown Fairfield. This proposal will outline what the scope of services would be for such a study and implementation.
New City America has perhaps created and managed more districts statewide than any other company over the past 25 years. We are the only company which can simultaneously do the following:
• Investigate and establish BIDs and Community Benefit Districts; • Help to set up the new Board of Directors and management corporations of the entities who will run the district;
• Manage the district until such time that a full time Executive Director has been hired;
We currently manage 7 districts statewide: Little Italy/San Diego, Downtown Hayward, Downtown Glendale, Downtown Chula Vista, Historic Lincoln Heights Industrial Zone PBID, Downtown El Cajon and the East Village Association/Downtown San Diego. New City America has managed San Diego’s Little Italy district in the past 30 years winning awards and acknowledgements as follows:
2 • Was identified as a “Smart Community” when San Diego was designated as National Geographic International Television series on World Smart Cities. Was designated in April 2010 as the “Smart Growth Community of the Decade” by the Urban Land Institute San Diego/Tijuana Chapter.
• Was named the 10th most popular neighborhood for Millennials in the US today (Forbes Magazine, April 2014);
• Was named the most kid friendly neighborhood in Downtown San Diego by Red Tricycle Magazine in May 2015
• Was featured in Entrepreneur Magazine as one of the most dynamic growing districts in the US today; (2017)
• Was considered to be the leader in COVID response for restaurants throughout San Diego County in the summer of 2021;
• Was one of the only districts in Southern California which did not lose one restaurant, café or bar due to the forced government shut down during COVID; • Was recently acknowledged as having the 4th best Certified Farmers Market in the US;
• Was recently acknowledged to have one of the most successful weekend “Art Walks” in the US today;
• Has created nearly 25 Charter City enabling ordinances that are considered superior to the current Property Business Improvement District laws allowable under the California Streets and Highway Code. • Formed one of the largest Tourism Improvement Districts in the state of California through San Francisco Travel;
• Has been the leader nationwide in designing, funding and managing new public spaces in the many districts it manages.
Our strategy for working in Downtown Fairfield for the investigation and possible formation of a PBID/CBID would be as follows:
1. Meet first with City staff and then with Downtown Fairfield stakeholders and property owners to explain the purpose of the new assessment district - Community Benefit Improvement District, (CBID), formation process and the relevant timeline to achieve these goals. Give examples of other successful Downtowns that have used Special Benefit Districts to accelerate their reinvention and redevelopment.
2. With direction from City staff and the Downtown Fairfield business and property owners, work with all the key players to create a stakeholders based Downtown Fairfield CBID Steering Committee. The first task of the Steering Committee would be to set boundaries for a CBID study area in Downtown Fairfield.
3. Work with that new Downtown Fairfield CBID Steering Committee to oversee a mailed survey to all property owners in the proposed district ascertaining their conceptual support for the creation of a special benefits district.
4. Use the survey to reveal the levels of survey support and/or opposition to the creation of this new financing mechanism district.
3 If there does seem to be conceptual support for this new Downtown Fairfield Property Assessment District (CBID), we would discuss the timeline for the district formation process, which would be formed ideally by the Spring of 2026.
This would be a performance-based contract with a monthly retainer amount of $8,500, estimated not to exceed $ 34,000 from commencement of the contract to the end of the investigation study of a possible district. The estimated period to form this district would be 4 months from the date of commencement.
New City America is one of the only companies nationwide that has demonstrated its knowledge of conceptualizing a program, developing a strategy and creating the end result through a new financing mechanism and organization to achieve dynamic business dist rict goals. In terms of qualifications, please review following relevant facts:
• New City America has formed 98 similar districts throughout the United States over the past 24 years, perhaps more than any other company in the US. We anticipated forming five more similar districts the Spring of 2025. We have formed more similar property assessment districts in the Bay Area, than any other company, reaching almost 30 formations since 2000.
• The districts that are currently functioning throughout the country, formed by New City America, collectively generated over $1 20,000,000 in annual revenues at the end of 2024.
• Being based in San Diego and our current work in the Bay Area , allows for direct access to business and property owners for a quick response to anyone’s questions.
We hope that you find this proposal to be responsive to your request and look forward to being interviewed by you and your staff to move forward with this study of a Downtown Fairfield Community Benefit Improvement District.
Sincerely,
Marco Li Mandri
President,
New City America, Inc.
www.newcityamerica.com
www.littleitalysd.com
www.downtownglendale.com
www.downtownchulavista.com
4 4
SCOPE OF WORK PROGRAM
Detailed Scope of Work and Budget for the
Downtown Fairfield Property Business Improvement
District/Community Benefit Improvement District
(CBID) Investigation Process
Phase 1 Tasks – Downtown Fairfield CBID Investigation
Task Comment Estimated Time
1. Prepare a feasibility analysis
for creating a successful
Downtown Fairfield
Stakeholders group to include
various options on the district
boundaries.
We would commence the process
with one on one meetings with key
property owners and businesses.
Read documents relative to the
current situation in Downtown
June
Meet with City officials to
go over the process and
timeline for a possible
district formation timeline.
2. Create a new Downtown
Fairfield Community Benefit
Improvement District (CBID)
Steering Committee made up of
property and business owners,
conduct outreach meetings to
obtain feedback from property
owners, business owners and
other key stakeholders on the
CBID effort.
NCA will work with the
stakeholders and the new
Downtown Fairfield CBID Steering
Committee and will present a
written survey for response by
property owners. The survey will
draw out support and opposition to
the concept of a special
assessments district and provide
critical data for contacting property
owners in the future. At least three
meetings will be held to go over
the CBID outreach concept, survey
review and determination of the
final fate of the investigation
June - July
-Database created based
upon presumed
boundaries
-Survey mailout out and
tabulated on a parcel map
-Survey questions
prioritized
-Recommendations made
to the Steering Committee
based upon survey
responses:
3. Take in the results of the
survey of property owners and
present them to the City
Manager and the CBID Steering
Committee. Meet with property
owners as needed.
NCA has a unique program for
showing the levels of support and
gauging which priority services the
City and property owners would
want to see. We would map it out
and present to the Steering
Committee
July – August
- Finalize survey results
and findings, make
recommendations to the
City and the Steering
Committee
4. Write a report to the City
Manager on the results of the
investigation, recommended
timeline, and feasibility of
formation.
If the survey response supports the
creation of a new CBID, work with
the City Manager’s office to review
the various options, probably the
PBID act of 1994, to fund special
benefit services in Downtown
Fairfield.
September
Estimated Costs for
Investigation of Downtown
Fairfield CBID
$ 34,000
($8,500 x 4 months)
5 Term of Agreement:
Commencing in June 2025, and concluding at the end of September 2025, unless continued through mutual agreement of both parties. Both parties shall retain the right to withdraw from the agreement with cause, with a 30-day written notice. This is a performance based agreement
Costs:
Retainer payment, $ 8,500.00 per month, is due and payable upon review and receipt with a four-month minimum to carry us through the investigative stage of the study. If the CBID Steering committee and City Manager agree not to pursue the formation of the district, the contract will conclude in September 2025. It is anticipated that this full agreement will not exceed $ 34,000 for the term of the contract. Checks will be made out to:
New City America, 2011 W. California Street, San Diego, CA 92110
New City America has 14 staff members working throughout the state. Marco Li Mandri, President, would be the main point of contact for the City of Fairfield. Our staff will handle all aspects of the district investigation and formation process.
Marco Li Mandri – Chief Executive Officer, Marco Li Mandri will be the main point of contact for the Downtown Fairfield Assessment District Project Shirley Zawadzki – Chief Operating Officer
Laura Li Mandri – Controller and Chief Financial Officer Monica Montes – Database, survey compilation
Chris Gomez – Design and Layout
Jerry Klink – Mapping (sub-contractor)
Dominic Li Mandri – District Management support
Joey Li Mandri, Business Liaison, Communications
Ryan Huffman, Administration (Glendale)
Michelle Mercado – Communications
Nick Angulo – Event planning
Nick Yoo – Asst. District Manager, Hayward
Ed Henning – Independent Assessment Engineer
NCA Personnel who may
work on the Downtown
Fairfield Project
Title and involvement in
this investigation and
formation of a CBID in
Downtown Fairfield
Years in
this Field
Years with
New City
America
Marco Li Mandri
[email protected]
President, Project Manager,
Key personnel of the effort
30 Since 1995
Shirley Zawadzki
[email protected]
Assistant Project Manager 29 Since 1996
Chris Gomez
[email protected]
District Management Officer,
Graphics
24 Since 2001
Laura Li Mandri
[email protected]
Controller of Corporation,
Administration
20 Since 2005
6 Monica Montes
[email protected]
Database work, meeting
coordinator
22 Since 2003
Jerry Klink
[email protected]
Mapping, graphics, public
space design, assist in
meeting coordination
10 Since 2015
Dominic Li Mandri District
outreach/Management
11 Since 2014
References
Public sector client references within the last 3 years Public Sector Client References (for the last 3 years)
1. Mr. Kelly McAdoo, City Manager, City of Santa Barbara, (510) 209-2247
2. Ms. Christine Connelly, Deputy Mayor, City of New Bedford MA (508) 979-1410
3. Ms. Christine Bibler, Deputy Mayor for Economic Development/City of San Diego (619) 236-6550
4. Mr. Chris Corgas, Mayor’s Office of Economic Development/City of San Francisco, CBD Coordinator for the City, (415) 554-6661
5. Ms. Jennifer Hiramoto, Economic Development Director, City of Ontario (909) 816-8174
6. Mr. Alex Nguyen, City Manager of Oxnard, (510) 541-9941
7. Mr. Ben Martinez, City Manager of National City, (562) 665-5067
8. Ms. Barbara Harb, Economic Development Director, City of Manteca. (209) 914-3519
9. Mr. Tom Williams, City Manager of Millbrae, (650) 784-3434
PBID/CBD District Management Corporations
1. Little Italy Association/San Diego- Mr. Steve Galasso, President (619) 234-6767
2. Downtown Hayward Association - Mr. Resti Zaballos, President (510) 719-5979
3. Downtown Glendale Association - Mr. Rick Lemmo, Vice President (805) 469-2255
4. Lincoln Heights Industrial Zone-Mr. Seth Polen, President (213) 595-5726
5. East Village Association-Ms. Sarah Potter, President (619) 860-1210
6. Downtown Chula Vista Association-Dr. Q, President (619) 791-5064
7. Downtown Santa Barbara Improvement Association, David de L’Abre, President (805) 698-8750
8. Downtown El Cajon PBID, Mr. Chris Berg City Liaison, (805) 509-0382