Mayor Blangiardi signs Bill 51 establishing Downtown Honolulu Business Improvement District

News Release from Office of the Mayor, October 20, 2025

HONOLULU — Mayor Rick Blangiardi today signed Bill 51 (2025) into law, creating a Downtown Honolulu Business Improvement District (BID) designed to deliver consistent cleaning, safety enhancements, maintenance, and beautification services within the city’s urban core.

Bill 51 expands the existing Fort Street Mall Special Improvement District into a broader Downtown BID — extending roughly from Nuʻuanu Avenue to Richards Street, and from Nimitz Highway to Beretania Street— funded through special assessments on non-residential property owners. The district will operate through a public-private partnership model, with an estimated $1.9 million annual budget dedicated to supplemental services beyond the City’s baseline responsibilities.

“The downtown area is the commercial and cultural heart of our city — a place where people work, gather, and conduct the business of our island every single day,” said Mayor Rick Blangiardi. “This BID is a proven solution and a smart investment in safety, cleanliness, and economic confidence. I am proud of what was accomplished through collaboration, and I look forward to the work ahead.”

The Mayor thanked Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam, who authored the measure, as well as Zoning Chair Esther Kia‘āina for her leadership in refining the bill in committee, along with the property owners, business leaders, and community stakeholders who helped shape the policy.

“We are not just expanding boundaries today, we are opening a new chapter for our city,” said Christine Camp, CEO of Avalon Group. “The launch of the Downtown Business Improvement District is more than a policy change; it’s a declaration of hope. With the signing of this bill, we just proved we can have an amazing partnership with the government, with committed leaders who care deeply about Downtown.”

Councilmember Tyler Dos Santos-Tam added, “This community-driven approach is part of a larger effort to revitalize our city’s urban core. It complements what we’ve already accomplished, like making outdoor dining permanent and streamlining office to residential conversions.”

Under the BID model, supplemental services may include:

Dedicated cleaning and trash abatement
Coordinated safety and outreach presence
Landscaping and public space stewardship
Lighting, wayfinding, and streetscape enhancements
Programming and activation to encourage foot traffic

Mayor Blangiardi emphasized that the BID is not intended to replace City services but to provide reliable, accountable layers of enhancement that create a stronger sense of place and support Downtown’s long-term resiliency.

The full text of Bill 51 can be found at: https://hnldoc.ehawaii.gov/hnldoc/measure/3401

— PAU —