North Beach property owners are being asked to pay a new tax to increase the police presence in the neighborhood, which has been plagued by rowdiness and violence.

Property owners will cast their ballots today on whether to form a special community benefit district in North Beach’s main corridor that could cost some of them thousands of dollars annually. Separately, the Board of Supervisors is also scheduled to vote today to authorize its adoption.

The community benefit district is the latest idea to try and rein in problems resulting from the large number of people who come to party in the neighborhood each weekend. Legislation proposed by Mayor Gavin Newsom would prohibit loitering outside of nightclubs throughout The City for more than three minutes. The police captain that oversees North Beach has also suggested club-specific hand stamps so police can see which establishments served troublemakers.

Marsha Garland, executive director of the North Beach Chamber of Commerce, said the creation of the district would provide a needed boost to Broadway. The proposed tax district is bounded by Columbus Avenue, Broadway, Montgomery Street and Pacific Avenue.

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“The image of this district has been tarnished by large crowds and unruly visitors that come into the commercial district in large numbers on Thursday-Saturday evenings,” asserts the written plan for the Broadway Entertainment Corridor Community Benefit. “With the new CBD, we seek to work with The City, SFPD and Tourism officials to upgrade this area, better manage crowds, attract more visitors and beautify the district.”

“Everybody has been trying to get a handle” on the violence in North Beach, said Board of Supervisors President Aaron Peskin, the representative for the district, adding that the district could provide valuable resources.

Nonetheless, Peskin said he plans to postpone the Board of Supervisors’ vote on the benefit district plan since he’s heard from more than 20 businesses “who feel like they have not been included in the CBD process.” Some of the property owners said they have been left out of the decision on the benefit district, which they said was being lead exclusively by the five adult entertainment clubs in the proposed district.

There were also concerns expressed about having to pay the new tax during tough economic times.

Garland, who sat on the steering committee that has guided the benefit district proposal, said all affected businesses and property owners were invited to attend the committee meetings “but barely anybody showed.”

She also said she found nothing wrong with adult clubs guiding the process.

jsabatini@sfexaminer.com

Pay to play

Proposed Broadway Entertainment Corridor Community Benefit District:

» Property owners in the district would collect $206,000 this fiscal year in property tax assessments ranging from as little as $471 a year to as much as $32,530, depending on the property size.

» The district would spend about $144,000 to pay for police officers, parking and marketing costs.

» During a 10-year period, the district would collect and spend $2.6 million.

Source: Broadway Entertainment Corridor Community Benefit District management district plan