Editing Downtown Improvement Board

{{Infobox Organization 
|name=Downtown Improvement Board
|image=DowntownPensacolaLogo.png
|image_border=
|size=288px
|caption=
|mission=
|motto=
|formation=[[1972]]
|extinction=
|type= 
|location=[[226 S. Palafox Pl]], Suite 106<br/>[[Seville Tower ]]
|membership=
|leader_title=Executive Director
|leader_name=[[Walker Wilson]]
|board=[[Michael Carro ]], ''Chairman''<br/>[[Jean Pierre N'Dione ]], ''Vice Chair''<br/>[[Nathan Hollar]], ''Treasurer''<br/>[[Claire Campbell]]<br/>[[Patti Sonnen]] <br/>[[County Commissioner Robert Bender, ex-officio]] <br/>[[City Councilmen Casey Jones, ex-officio]]
|staff=2
|key_people=
|budget= $776,559 (FY2022-2023 projected)<ref name="expansion">[http://www.downtownpensacola.com/DIB/QA.asp Expansion Q&A] - Official website</ref>
|website=[http://www.downtownpensacola.com/ downtownpensacola.com]
}}
The '''Downtown Improvement Board''' ('''DIB''') is a quasi-governmental organization formed by the Florida legislature in [[1972]] with the purpose of developing and marketing the 44-block "core" of [[downtown Pensacola]]. Centered on [[Palafox Street]], the DIB is similar in both mission and area to the [[Community Redevelopment Agency]].

==Purpose & leadership==
The mission of the DIB is "to continue the removal of commercial blight; enhance property values; encourage economic development; attract commercial and residential development into the urban core; and beautify Downtown Pensacola."<ref>[http://www.downtownpensacola.com/DIB/Goals.asp Goals & Priorities] - Official website</ref>

The DIB is governed by a five-member Board, nominated by the [[Mayor of Pensacola]] and appointed to three-year terms by the [[Pensacola City Council]]. There are three paid staff members, including an executive director.

The current director is [[Franklin "Kim" Kimbrough]], who was selected from a pool of 23 candidates on [[September 10]], [[2004]], three months after the resignation of previous director [[Wanda Enfinger]].<ref>"Downtown Improvement Board hires new director." ''Pensacola News Journal'', September 11, 2004.</ref> At the time he was hired, Kimbrough's salary was set at $50,000. His contract was later amended to raise this figure to the average salary of the directors of the [[Santa Rosa Island Authority]], the [[Port of Pensacola]] and the [[Pensacola Regional Airport]] — or nearly $100,000.<ref>"DIB's Executive director salary set to double over 3 years." ''Pensacola News Journal'', September 10, 2006.</ref>

==Funding & budget==
The Downtown Improvement Board is a taxing authority that levies an additional 2.00 mills on the [[property tax|taxable value of properties]] within its boundaries.

As of 2006, the organization's annual budget was $585,056, of which $372,464 came from [[property taxes]]. The remainder was provided by revenue from programs, events, sponsorships and interest.

==Boundaries==
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The 44-block area of the DIB is an uneven collection of commercial properties centered roughly around [[Palafox Street]], bounded to the north by [[Belmont Street|Belmont]] and [[Wright Street]]s and to the south by [[Lexington Plaza]]. The east-west axis is centered along [[Garden Street]] as far east as [[Alcaniz Street|Alcaniz]] and as far west as [[A Street]].

==Projects==
===Downtown parking===
The Downtown Parking Management District strives to provide plentiful, accessible, low cost and free parking throughout Downtown Pensacola.   With 1,543 off-street spaces and 6,983 on-street spaces, you will find 8,526 parking spots dispersed in convenient locations throughout downtown. 

===Retail strategy===
On [[December 6]], [[2007]] the DIB unveiled a study by Fort Lauderdale-based firm [http://www.marketingdevelopments.com/ Marketing Developments] which laid out a two-year roadmap to improve the downtown retail environment. Among the recommendations:<ref>[http://www.downtownpensacola.com/Business/RetailStrategy.pdf Retail strategy]</ref><ref>"Downtown businesses laud retail report." ''Pensacola News Journal'', December 17, 2007.</ref><ref>[http://ricksblog.biz/?p=2658 HarborTown?] Rick's Blog, December 7, 2007.</ref>
*Change one-way streets to two-way.
*Encourage business owners to keep later, more consistent hours of operation.
*Hold weekend markets on the [[Palafox Street]] median. 
*Market downtown area under the name "HarborTown."

===Expansion efforts===
In [[2006]] the DIB sought to expand its boundaries in several directions, an effort that required approval of property owners within the proposed areas. Chairman [[Dan Lozier]] said the Board tried to assist restoration efforts at [[St. Michael's Cemetery]] following [[cemetery vandalism|acts of vandalism]], "but we were told that we couldn't make the donation because the cemetery isn't in the district."<ref>"Downtown district may be expanded." ''Pensacola News Journal'', April 11, 2006.</ref>

[[Image:DIBProposedExpansion.jpg|thumb|right|200px|Boundaries of the proposed DIB expansion]]
The exact boundaries of the expansion proposal were altered several times to omit residential neighborhoods, instead focusing on four commercial areas:
*Area 1 – east of [[Alcaniz Street]] and south of the [[CSX Railroad]], including the [[Crowne Plaza Grand Hotel]], [[Gulf Power Company]] and future developments around the [[Aragon]] neighborhood, which was itself excluded
*Area 2 – commercial areas adjacent to [[Seville Square]], south of [[Main Street]] and east of [[Jefferson Street]] (including [[Seville Harbor]]), and the southeastern end of [[Palafox Street]], including [[Palafox Pier]]
*Area 3 – southwest of existing DIB boundaries to [[Clubbs Street]], including the [[Trillium]] and [[Main Street Sewage Treatment Plant]] properties
*Area 4 – small strip centered on [[Garden Street]] between [[Devilliers Street|Devilliers]] and [[A Street]]s.
Notably, the four areas included a number of undeveloped areas slated for future projects, like the [[Community Maritime Park]] and [[Hawkshaw Eastside]], but the [[Belmont-DeVilliers]] neighborhood was not included. According to the proposed plan, property owners within the four areas would vote by mail-in ballot. The areas would be tabulated independently, meaning a failure to pass in one area would not affect the other three. If all the areas approved the expansion, the DIB would have received an additional $179,594 (approximated from 2006 property values).<ref name="expansion"/>

However, on [[September 28]], [[2006]], the [[Pensacola City Council]] voted 5-4 to cancel the planned referendum, citing an undue burden on the residents who might be affected by the additional taxes.<ref>"Vote kills effort to expand tax zone." ''Pensacola News Journal'', September 29, 2006.</ref>

==References==
{{reflist}}

[[Category:Downtown Pensacola| ]] [[Category:Taxing authorities]]