Local commercial property owner Yanki Greenspan, president of Westland Real Estate Group with numerous holdings in north Long Beach, has been elected chairman of the board of directors of the Uptown Property and Community Association.
“This district represents the commitment of north Long Beach property owners to the revitalization of our business corridors and the entire community,” said Greenspan. “I look forward to being a part of this great transformation.”
Additionally, the board named Lorena Parker as interim program manager for the association’s new Uptown PBID (Property Business Improvement District) at their board meeting Jan. 27. Parker has been working with other business-improvement districts for the last 13 years.
“I am thrilled to be working with the Uptown PBID,” Parker said. “There is nothing more gratifying to see how BIDs can transform a commercial corridor.”
The Uptown PBID was originally voted on and established by area business and commercial property owners last October and then officially went into effect on Jan. 1. It is set for an initial five-year term and affects the business corridors along Atlantic Avenue between Artesia Boulevard and Market Street and along Artesia Boulevard between Atlantic and Orange avenues.
PBIDs are based upon fees that are determined by how large a business or property is. Annually collected fees are then transferred into a PBID budget that oversees neighborhood benefits that may not be covered or immediately offered by the City, according to Parker. For example, the Downtown PBID uses its funds to cover graffiti removal, sidewalk cleaning, signage updating and various other services. According to paperwork filed with the City, the Uptown PBID will operate on an annual budget of $188,367, which will go towards special services such as security, maintenance, marketing, and economic development for the businesses that pay into the fund.
Ninth District Councilmember Steven Neal noted that the establishment of the Uptown PBID is a component of the Uptown Renaissance that’s been revitalizing the north Long Beach area.
“This just adds to so many great things that are already going on in north Long Beach,” Neal said. “We look forward to working with both Mr. Greenspan and Ms. Parker as this PBID gets going. Their involvement means so much in the revitalization of our business corridors and supporting our small business community.”
More Information
uptownpbid@gmail.com
818-655-5377
Source: Uptown Property and Community Association
