10C
Date: January 27, 2026
To: Honorable Mayor and Members of the City Council
From: Aram Chaparyan, City Manager
By: Fran Fulton, Economic Development Manager | [email protected] Subject: City Manager – Accept and File Update on Downtown Torrance Business Improvement District (BID) and Discuss and Provide Direction on Staff Recommended Responses to the Downtown Torrance Association Questionnaire.
Expenditure: None.
RECOMMENDATION
Recommendation of the City Manager that City Council:
1. Accept and file an update on the efforts to establish a Business Improvement District (BID) in Downtown Torrance and;
2. Discuss and provide direction on staff recommended responses to the Downtown Torrance Association (DTA) Questionnaire.
FUNDING
None required.
DISCUSSION
The Downtown Torrance Association has been pursuing the creation of a Business Improvement District in the Downtown commercial core for approximately two years. To date efforts have not been successful in securing enough support to proceed with a formal vote on the formation of a property-based business improvement district.
Pursuant to the last effort to secure the needed 50.1% of total assessments to be paid, the Downtown Torrance Association discussed continuing with the effort but had differing views on how to proceed. A questionnaire was formulated by TeamCivX, the consulting group assisting with the formation process, that was emailed out January 16th. Responses have been requested to be returned no later than January 30th.
Feedback is being requested on prioritizing identified improvements for the area, willingness to participate in a business-based business improvement district, and what annual fee would be considered acceptable if the group were to participate.
If the group determines to proceed with the formation of a business-based business improvement district, the legal steps to establish will proceed via City Council action. This includes a series of 1 City Council
January 27, 2026
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2 three public meetings held at City Council to include petitions to form, a public hearing, and approval of a resolution of intention to form.
As the City has a concerted interest in the promotion of Downtown Torrance and the formation of a business improvement district was a recommendation in the Council approved Downtown Revitalization and Connectivity Plan, staff is requesting input on the same questionnaire being considered by Downtown businesses. The email sent to businesses and the questionnaire with recommended responses for the City are both attached.
ATTACHMENTS
1. Email to Downtown Businesses
2. Questionnaire with Recommended Responses
2 Subject: Help Shape the Future of a Downtown Torrance BID — Business Owner Survey Dear Downtown Torrance Business and Property Owners,
Thank you for your continued engagement in exploring how a Business Improvement District (BID) could help strengthen and support Downtown Torrance. Over the past two years, the City and the Downtown Torrance Association have worked on a feasibility study to evaluate the creation of a property-based BID , including proposed services such as marketing and promotion of downtown events, lighting and safety enhancements, beautification, and coordinated business advocacy. You may review the Management District Plan here:
Final Management District Plan (February 2024)
As part of the legally required formation process, petitions were mailed to property owners, followed by a second summer mailing to those who had not yet responded. However, the effort is falling short of receiving support from a weighted majority of property owners needed to advance a property-based BID. Many property owners live and work outside Downtown or outside the City entirely, making engagement and responses difficult to obtain.
Because many Downtown businesses remain strongly interested in improving marketing, safety, and overall district vitality, we are now exploring an alternative approach: a business- owner, fee-based BID , in which businesses, rather than property owners, would pay a modest annual fee (such as $200–$400 per year). This model is commonly used in other communities, such as Redondo Beach, Manhattan Beach, Bixby Knolls (Long Beach), and may better reflect the priorities and engagement of the businesses operating here daily.
To help determine whether a business-owner BID is viable, we are asking Downtown Torrance business owners to complete a short survey by January 30, 2026. Your feedback will guide:
• If businesses support BID formation
• Which services a BID should prioritize
• What annual fee level feels acceptable and appropriate Please complete our brief survey: CLICK HERE
Your input is essential. A BID can only move forward with engagement from the business community that would benefit from these direct programs and services.
Thank you for your partnership and commitment to building an active, thriving Downtown Torrance. We will share next steps as survey results are compiled.
Warm regards,
Downtown Torrance Association
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