(a) The method to be used to raise the funds necessary for the district shall be the levy of service fees upon all businesses located within the district. “Business” means a fixed place of business where one or more persons are employed or engaged in the purchase, sale, provision or manufacturing of commodities, products or services. The ownership of real estate which is unoccupied and which is held for investment purposes, for sale or lease, shall be considered a business. For the purposes of this chapter, the operation of multifamily residential property and the operation of structured parking facilities shall not be considered to be a business.

(b) The service fees shall be based upon the location of the business in one of the tier areas located in the map which is incorporated by reference. However, the maximum service fee per business will not exceed $15,000 regardless of the number of square feet or tier area. The service fees assessed shall be as follows:

(c) For the purposes of this chapter, the number of square feet of floor area occupied shall be determined as the total area designated for the exclusive use by the owner or tenants expressed in square feet and measured from the centerline of joint partitions and from outside wall faces. In the case of leased property, square feet of floor area occupied is considered that area for which tenants pay rent. In no event shall square feet of floor area occupied include public toilets, corridors, stairwells, elevators, mechanical equipment rooms, lobbies, mall areas, or hotel sleeping rooms. Further, in no event shall square feet of floor area occupied include area which is unusable or is not occupied due to applicable City codes. In the case of a building occupied by a single business, the gross floor area may be reduced by subtracting the actual measured square footage of excluded areas as defined in this section or by subtracting 15 percent of the gross floor area, whichever is greater.

(d) Service fees under this section shall be levied for the year 2024 and shall be due and payable in two semiannual installments. Service fees shall be deemed delinquent if not paid within 30 days of the due date provided for the second semiannual installment. (Ord. 20471 § 1, 12-19-23.)