janesvillean - Just to clarify, there are not 82 other cities with BIDs. There are only around 50. There are 82 BIDs in the state of Wisconsin, and Milwaukee has 29 of them. Also, your comment wondering "about how many small *business* owners were overruled, as it were, by the *property* owners they lease from" really does not matter. The property owners are the ones who would have been responsible for paying the additional taxes. Not the leasees.

joeflint, it is true that downtown will never be the "hub" that it used to be. Many, many communities have discovered this and the location of an interstate or other bypass highway is only part of it (if you have a highway going through town, you just get growth on the strips at the edges anyway). Urban planners have learned many hard lessons in the last 50 years and there is no reason that a city the size of Janesville cannot continue to have a vibrant and healthy downtown, even if it is no longer the center of commerce.
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Fortunately we have a city government that understands this and a core group of downtown cheerleaders and successful new businesses. 82 other cities in Wisconsin have BIDs that have helped their business districts (I'm sure some have been less successful than others, and sometimes there is nothing that can be done.) If the only reaction is to throw our hands in the air we may as well give up on the city altogether. Believing that we can bring together public and private interests to have a healthy city with as much historic architecture retained and utilized as possible and attractive modern development to complement it is not an unreachable goal, as there are numerous examples of cities that have done well.
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I am quite curious about how many small *business* owners were overruled, as it were, by the *property* owners they lease from.
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This idea of tearing down the downtown is pretty appalling and I can't believe anyone would suggest it. The city's downtown plan, in fact, suggests making even better use of the river by orienting commerce toward it. I strongly suggest people review the complete downtown plan, and attend the comprehensive plan presentation at Marshall Middle School on Tuesday, so they understand what proposals are on the table. I would not say that every proposal is achievable, in the short term, but I think in general they are pragmatic and appropriate plans that have been developed by listening to stakeholders.

Downtown was dead the day they routed I-90 and realigned US 14 to the east side... back in the late 50s and early 60s. Now even Hwy 11 bypasses downtown as well. If US 51 is ever re-aligned, the damage will be complete. Once upon a time, downtown was the ONLY place to shop or take part in commercial activity. How many of today's leaders are aware of the old corn exchange or the department stores that were downtown? How many are aware that there used to be STREETCARS in Janesville?
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Downtown is dead. Downtown is so dead that most of the one-way streets (made that way because of high traffic) are now sleepy two-way streets.
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Making a greenbelt along the river and creating attractive higher density housing is about all that can be "done" with downtown in the next 10-20 years.

Perhaps the parties who support the ideas behind the BID can donate their own funds, or come up with some fundraising activities to move forward with their agenda.

What "level" would that be? Taxing many of the owners until they're forced to leave?

It appears that many, if not a majority, of downtown property owners are satisfied with the status quo and don't want to spend any money to "improve" the downtown area.
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The city might want to consider buying properties adjacent to the river as they become available, tearing down the old buildings and gradually creating a greenbelt along the river. That would enhance the appearance of the downtown area without targeting the remaining property owners with special taxes. It would also reduce the costs of containing floodwaters or repairing the damages of flooding.

.... And there goes the best chance to bring the downtown to the next level.