By Thomas Kneafsey, LVBID President
Happy New Year! The Larchmont Village Business Improvement District, which runs on Larchmont between Beverly and 1st, formed in 1998 and maintains our village, its unique charm and sense of community.
Highlights from 2014:
Banners. Brightly colored banners featuring our iconic boulevard clock hanging from the light posts add a splash of color amidst the ficus leaves and shop awnings, and better identify and brand the village. They’ll hang permanently except when switched with our holiday lights each winter.
Arrows. Have you noticed the green signs on 3rd and Melrose directing traffic to Larchmont? We requested these from Councilmember LaBonge’s office to capture the attention of those who might otherwise zoom past our BID.
Holidays. The illuminated snowflake, garland and gift box decorations were purchased by the BID; we’ll enjoy them for many holiday seasons to come! The BID also organized a merchant holiday storefront decoration contest, sponsored by the Larchmont Chronicle, Larchmont Buzz and LADWP and judged by the presidents of local neighborhood associations. The winner was Flicka and runner up, Village Heights. Just after Thanksgiving, we worked with the Larchmont Boulevard Association to promote Small Business Saturday.
Communication with Merchants and Property Owners. We are in regular communication with the 80+ businesses and 25 property owners on Larchmont. We welcome new businesses and make sure they are best informed about our village.
The bulk of the BID’s budget goes to upkeep and maintenance:
Sidewalk Washing and Tree Trimming. The BID oversees sidewalk cleaning, litter pick-up, cleaning landscape wells and planters, and trimming the trees. This year, we added an extra sidewalk power wash each month. The street and gutter cleaning remain the City’s responsibility.
Big Belly Solar Trash/Recycling. Thanks to a generous grant from Councilmember LaBonge, we introduced Big Belly solar trash and recycle containers on Larchmont as a pilot program in 2013 that expanded to service the whole BID this spring. Miss the old concrete cans? You can find them being put to use in the recently formed Melrose BID!
Finally, we stay abreast of new legislation affecting our BID and stakeholders via the BID Consortium. This group represents the 40 BIDs throughout LA and meets monthly to discuss issues, opportunities and legislation affecting BIDs. Big topics last year: street vending, tree and sidewalk maintenance, emergency prep, economic development.
Please connect with us online!
Find us on Facebook at larchmontvillagebid
On Instagram @larchmontvillage
