Higher taxes possible for multimillion-dollar properties — and one Mission block

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Onwers of buildings like this on the 2500 block of Mission willingly pay for higher taxes to receive better street services and maintenance. Creative Commons photo by Flickr user WonderMike.

Mayor Gavin Newsom may be sticking to his no-new-taxes pledge through a second year of brutal deficits, but there are several moves afoot to put additional revenue into city coffers. One is a plan for higher taxes for properties with a $5 million to $10 million price tag. And another is a one-block special tax zone for the Mission District that local businesses say works well for them to help combat blight.

On Tuesday the San Francisco Business Times reported on a proposed tax measure that would raise taxes for properties in the price range of $5 million to $10 million. The proposal goes on the ballot in November and would increase the levy to 2 percent from the current 1.5 percent. Properties worth more than $10 million would be bumped up to 2.5 percent. The reform could raise an estimated $35 million annually, which would help San Francisco deal with its expected $500 million shortfall.
 
On Thursday the neighborhood website Mission Local reported that property owners on the 2500 block of Mission Street were willing to pay more in taxes for better services and street maintenance for five more years. Denizens of the block set out to make the area more “safe, clean and green” five years ago through a special tax district. Much has been accomplished, with frequent street cleaning, graffiti removal and maintenance of security cameras and floral arrangements. The Board of Supervisors is expected to approve their request sometime next month.
 
The neighborhood cleanup effort mirrors a similar push on neighboring Valencia Street, which has benefitted from a recent $6.1 million facelift, the Bay Citizen reported. But the reporter, Scott James, pointed out that construction was so extensive that some businesses experienced temporary drops in business. The Valencia Streetscape Improvement Project caused the owner of the restaurant Frjtz to say he had experienced his “worst business in 10 years.”

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