Frequently asked questions about …
Cranford Special Improvement District (SID)
Cranford District Management Corporation (DMC)
What is the Special Improvement District (SID)?
A Special Improvement District (SID) is a defined area where a public/private partnership between property owners and a municipality is established to promote economic revitalization, investment, and improvements for those who use or do business in the SID. The stakeholders are the property and business owners, as well as residents within the SID. A SID provides the stakeholders a voice about which services to provide above and beyond the regular municipal services.
Cranford’s SID is generally referred to as the downtown.
- general area (approx. 83 acres) runs east to west from Centennial Avenue to Orchard Street; north to south from Springfield Avenue to just beyond Walnut Avenue.
- more than 150 properties with about 400,000 SF of first floor retail space
- 196 businesses (retail & professional offices) and more than 900 residential units in and around the SID
What is the Downtown Management Corporation (DMC)?
The DMC is an advocacy and management entity. State legislation mandates that municipalities establish a district management corporation (DMC) to oversee the SID.
Who funds the SID / DMC?
The downtown property owners pay an annual special assessment on their properties for things like streetscape improvements, marketing, retail promotions and maintenance to supplement regular Township services. When the SID was established in 1985 the assessment was 40 cents per $100 of assessed property value. Currently, the rate is 20 cents or $137, 711, which is the DMC’s annual operating budget.
Do downtown property owners still pay general property taxes?
Yes. In 2008, the SID property owners paid $3,268,387 in general property taxes.
Is there a DMC Board?
There is an 11 member Board all appointed by the Township Committee: 3 downtown property owners, 3 downtown business owners, 4 Cranford residents and 1 Township Commissioner. They each serve 3 terms and have equal voting power.
Many SIDs in NJ have much larger advisory boards with a smaller executive board; in most municipalities every SID property owner has voting power.
The DMC professional staff includes a full time director and two part time employees. The Township Administrator and Township Finance Director serve as support staff.
Does the DMC only represent the downtown business?
Yes. The DMC is an advocate for all businesses within the SID: stores, restaurants, service businesses and professional offices. The DMC works with other municipal departments: police, fire, zoning, building, health and tax assessor; Township boards and committees like planning, zoning, parking on downtown issues. The DMC supports efforts by other organizations like the Chamber of Commerce, Jersey Central Art Studio, Jaycees, Junior Woman’s Club, PTAs and others in their activities to promote downtown Cranford.
How is the DMC different from the Chamber of Commerce?
The DMC is part of the Township government and has official responsibilities, such as approvals of all signs, facades and activities, specified in the municipal ordinance. The DMC represents all properties, businesses and residents within the SID regardless of size, location or use and is the official advocate for property and business owners.
The Chamber is a business organization that sponsors networking activities for its members and events for the general public like the annual street fairs, Cruiser Car Shows and the circus. Membership in the Chamber is open to businesses in Cranford as well as other towns. www.cranford.com/chamber
Who manages downtown parking?
The Traffic Division of the Police Department manages parking downtown and the Centennial Avenue business area. There is also a Parking Committee appointed by the Township Committee to review and advise on parking issues. www.cranford.com/police
Who is in charge of downtown maintenance?
The Dept. of Public Works continues to handle general maintenance like street cleaning, snow removal, tree trimming; the Building Dept. is responsible for property maintenance; and the Health Dept. oversees restaurant health inspections and trash collection. The DMC maintenance funds are used for beautification projects and maintenance in addition to municipal services.
How are SID funds used for marketing?
The DMC works primarily with the downtown business owners to determine the retail marketing efforts, many of which are done on a cooperative basis. The DMC’s quarterly magazine, Downtown Cranford, published since 2000, is sent to 26,000 homes in many neighboring towns. The DMC pays a portion of the production costs and postage and the business owners pay for their own ads and production costs.
The DMC has produced shopping, dining and parking guides; does print advertising, publishes an e-newsletter, manages a website http://www.cranford.com/downtown uses Facebook and Twitter and the Cranford Gift Check program to encourage shopping and dining downtown. We also produce information kits for both new and prospective business owners.
The DMC organizes the annual Fall for Cranford event, “The Scarecrow Stroll”, and the Spring event, “Cranford Goes Bloom”. Both of these involve the business community as well as Cranford residents, clubs and organizations. Finally, the DMC works with business owners on retail promotions meant to attract shoppers into stores and restaurants and holds regular Roundtable meetings for business owners.
Is the DMC responsible for renting downtown stores and managing buildings?
The buildings downtown are all privately owned and managed. The DMC keeps a list of available space and offers assistance to both property owners and potential tenants seeking to open a business often matching a tenant and landlord.
Is there a way to get regular and updated news about downtown Cranford?
Yes. The DMC’s free e-newsletter is sent every other Monday with information about businesses, special promotions, alerts and Township announcements. Email us at dmc@cranfordnj.org to sign up. Check the DMC website, www.cranford.com/downtown
Where is the DMC Office?
The office is located in the Cranford Municipal Building, 8 Springfield Avenue; 908-709-7208; dmc@cranfordnj.org. Hours are 8 am to 4:30 pm. We welcome your inquiries and requests to speak to your club or organization.
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