InstantnewsBellaire.com

Stimulating small business in Bellaire is the subject of the fifth and last question in InstantnewsBellaire’s Q&A series with Bellaire City Council candidates.

Robert, who has lived in Bellaire for two years, asked the candidates:

What can be done differently to promote local, small business opportunities within Bellaire? (I am thinking something creative like the Keep Austin Weird campaign)

Here are the answers from the four candidates for Place 3 on the council. Scroll to the bottom for information on the procedures of this Q&A.

Corbett Parker

Corbett Parker did not respond to the question by the deadline.

Roseann Rogers

Roseann Rogers

Robert, good question. I’ve talked to several business owners in Bellaire about a creative campaign to generate more awareness and revenue for small local businesses. This is where my extensive sales and marketing background really comes to the table!

One idea might be to host a Business is Booming or Bellaire is Buzzing night or weekend, where local businesses including restaurants are open for an extended period and offer residents as well as our nearby neighbors the chance to sample special offerings.

Whether it’s discounts or buy one get one free entrees or even the chance to experience great entertainment. The campaign would then be marketed throughout all media outlets and resources in Bellaire and surrounding areas. The special night/weekend would give local businesses the opportunity to re-acquaint themselves with residents as well as introduce themselves to new potential customers.  If executed and marketed correctly, it would be an annual tradition.

This is certainly relevant to our downtown area and ties in with my vision for the area. Downtown is the pulse of any city, this is where the synergy begins and spreads throughout the community. I would like to see balanced business development that would bring revenue to our city without negatively impacting our residential areas that make Bellaire so unique.  As consumers we must support our local businesses.  Second, each of us must, in our own way, serve as marketer to encourage businesses to serve our city.  Third, maintain a balance between broadening the tax base and maintaining Bellaire’s sense of character and charm.

Marie Anstead

Marie Anstead

As I state on my website www.marieanstead.com and as I stated in the October 15th Town Forum, I am the only candidate who has been marketing a “theme” BELLAIRE PROUD.

What is BELLAIRE PROUD?  BELLAIRE PROUD is my platform to re-brand Bellaire as eco-friendly while maintaining its’ small town charm.  How would we do this?

1. Let’s set the stage for attracting businesses by having attractive green features such as more dedicated green space, water features (fountains), noise reduction near 610, more softscape (trees and flowers), sidewalks, and unique street lights.
2. Let’s consider zoning our areas as mixed residential/commercial in the Bellaire downtown area, allowing for higher density housing (and more potential local resident buying power) yet curtailing the height and outside features of the buildings to preserve the “small town look” and cohesiveness of the community.
3. Let’s target and attract businesses that we are already aware embrace eco-friendly practices and have eco-friendly values.
4. Let’s incentivize with tax advantages to businesses, which incorporate our new BELLAIRE PROUD eco-friendly values into practice.
5. Let’s partner with businesses and help them obtain State and Federal grants for eco-friendly green roofs (beginning to be seen in larger metropolitan areas), eco-friendly energy reduction (such as automatic light switches and light bulbs) and eco-friendly waste reduction (by helping them set up recycling).  I am the only candidate who knows how to do this.  This is what I have done for the past 20 years, winning prestigious awards for my employer.  This is what I did for Bellaire when I volunteered to write the grant for the City to obtain the funds needed to set up our curbside recycling program in 2005/2006.  This is what I promise I can do for Bellaire once voted into office of City Council.

Richard Franke

Richard Franke

Redevelopment of the downtown and industrial areas has been a key objective of the draft Comprehensive Plan recently approved by City Council and the Planning and Zoning Commission to provide an environment more attractive to both small and large businesses. Most candidates have endorsed that effort to revitalize the downtown area to improve both the commercial tax base and the appeal of Bellaire to prospective residents. Citizens have expressed concern about the poor condition of facilities near the Post Office, the opportunity to make more effective use of the downtown area and the need to improve security.

These are major undertakings that require more than clever marketing themes. It is important to understand that both prospective home owners and businesses must have confidence that their investments will be protected.  The redevelopment of business areas must be undertaken with a firm commitment to complete reconstruction of street related infrastructure..  It is unreasonable to expect upscale businesses or prospective residents to invest in Bellaire when it is known that hundreds of millions of dollars of essential capital projects remain unfunded.

Bellaire’s tax rate is substantially lower than Houston’s tax rate. Bellaire is financially sound in the short term but many taxpayers expressed concern during campaign interviews that our tax rate (at the current $3 billion level of the tax base net of exemptions) will not support the $180 million or more needed to complete reconstruction of the City’s deteriorated infrastructure in a reasonable time frame. That estimate was provided recently by consulting engineers and is apparently based on low financing costs and favorable construction contract terms available during the downturn. If Bellaire does not act, the cost of reconstruction will likely increase and could deter redevelopment efforts. Now is the time to plan solutions to these important issues to protect Bellaire.

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In this series, candidates receive questions twice per week and have 24 hours to respond with an answer that is less than 300 words long. The answers publish with no editing.