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Midtown Restaurants Consider Self-Imposed Tax For Improvements

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — A popular dining district in Midtown Sacramento may be getting a new name and facelift.
Businesses are proposing taxing themselves to raise money for much-needed improvements.

Karen Lopez is shaking things up at one of Midtown's hottest Mexican joints.

Azul Mexican Food and Tequila Bar is one of about 20 midtown restaurants, banding together to form a brand.

"We already have that great ambience that great atmosphere and people are already here we just need that, you know, we just need to name it," she says.

It's a need for a new dining district, south of the hip Handle District," between 20th and 25th streets, a few blocks are in need of a boost.

Emily Baine Michaels of the Midtown Association says that identity would come in the form of improvements from free valet to new lights to entertainment.

The added perks come with a price tag. Restaurants would be charged 1.5 percent of their profits.

It's a popular proposal that may also catch on up the street, at the Historic R Street Corridor.

"That will be up to our restaurants to see, hey do we want to tax ourselves to do this," said Michelle Brattmiller with the R Street Partnership.

She says a few eateries recently closed here only to be replaced by new ones. It's part of an ever-evolving scene, catering to a hungrier crowd.

"We've got about 600 units coming in and people moving here, and I think in a year from now those restaurants wouldn't have closed, they would've had the population to serve them," said Brattmiller.

For those that do live here, it's all about the vibe.

"Being 25 and living down here, being so close to the life," said Brittney Geen.

The city council plans to vote on the new district on Tuesday.

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