By Carolyn Leal
Saratogans like their town's quaint village-like ambiance, its small-town atmosphere and its natural beauty.
However, they dislike Saratoga's lack of "community-serving" businesses and want more "quality, diversified" stores.
While they are fond of Saratoga's five-star restaurants, they point out that everyday family-style dining choices are limited.
Citizens are proud of Saratoga's reputation as host to cultural, entertainment and art events and they see Saratoga as being "upscale, sophisticated and cultured," but they bemoan the lack of community consensus.
These are some of the conclusions drawn from a recent survey conducted by consultant Dave Kilbourne of Chico, who has been hired by the city to plot a marketing strategy to bring more shoppers into Saratoga. The survey, published in the Chamber of Commerce newsletter, drew fewer than 100 responses.
Kilbourne has coined "Savor Saratoga" as a possible city marketing theme that would encompass the five-star restaurants and cultural events. The phrase could be expanded to include "Discover Saratoga" and "Explore Saratoga," he suggested.
As a way of funding a citywide promotional effort, Kilbourne has suggested formation of a Business Improvement District that could encompass all the merchants in the city.
Kilbourne outlined advantages of the Business Improvement District and asked 24 people in attendance at a recent merchants' meeting to indicate if they were in favor of forming such a district, which would charge merchants an annual fee to be used for promotion. If voted in, participation in the district wound be mandatory, he warned.
Kilbourne later said 90 percent of the people at the meeting were interested in forming a BID, to include all shopping areas within Saratoga.
"The funds from each area would be carefully tracked, and those funds would be used for two levels of marketing--one, the citywide image and concept of Saratoga; the other, the marketing of the individual business area," he said.
If enough merchants support the BID concept, the district would be created by petitioning the City Council.
About 200 such districts exist in California, Kilbourne said. Los Gatos is currently beginning a campaign to renew its BID.
BIDs typically generate $25,000 to $50,000 per year to be used to fund marketing programs. In many cities, the City Council matches merchant contributions, he said.
State law on BIDs provides for a number of "safety features," Kilbourne said, including that the BID must be reapproved by participating businesses annually and all its funds be spent within the established district boundaries on programs and projects approved by participating businesses. Also, the assessment formula cannot be increased without going back through the full formation process, he said.
Additional meetings will be held to determine merchant interest, Kilbourne said.
"The next step is for representatives of individual businesses to talk to other businesses, then we'll probably put on another informational workshop, but larger and more broad-based," he said.
This article appeared in the Saratoga News, May 8, 1996.
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