A nonprofit group in Cheney is seeking support from business and property owners there to form a business improvement district in the city's downtown area to fund safety initiatives, aesthetic improvements, and marketing efforts.

The group, Cheney Pathways to Progress, hopes to raise $20,000 a year through such a taxing district to boost the downtown area, says Spencer Grainger, the group's interim executive director.

"It's not much, but we don't want to put a heavy burden on property owners. We want to do something reasonable and attainable," Grainger says.

A business improvement district can raise funds by taxing property owners within its boundaries. To form one, owners of 60 percent of the property within the district, by assessed value, must approve its creation. Though the boundaries for such a district in Cheney haven't been set yet, the city's downtown has about 50 businesses and about 100 property owners that potentially could be located within the district's boundaries, he says.

Pathways to Progress has begun talking to downtown businesses and property owners and planned to hold a public forum Nov. 20 to discuss the idea of creating the district, Grainger says.

At the public forum, Pathways expects to answer questions about the benefits and costs of the district and to discuss forming a steering committee that ultimately could become the district's ratepayer advisory board, which would govern the district, Grainger says.

Pathways envisions itself being selected to administer the district, much like the Downtown Spokane Partnership does for the business improvement district in downtown Spokane, he says.

Pathways is focused on historic preservation and revitalization of downtown Cheney. It sponsors a farmers market and community events and does projects to enhance the downtown streetscape, Grainger says. Currently, Pathways' administrative costs are paid for jointly by the city of Cheney and Eastern Washington University, and its programs are paid for by revenues from annual memberships, Grainger says.