Although no one spit venom or jumped in elation, the five people who spoke at a public hearing last week had strong opinions about the possibility of Mt. Lebanon creating a special business district on Washington Road that would charge property owners for promoting the businesses there.

"I think this is a great opportunity for Mt. Lebanon to grow in stature," said M.A. Sinnhuber, an artist with a second-story shop at 701 Washington Road. She cited the popularity of First Fridays, a monthly outdoor festival, and Sidewalk Saturdays, a weekly farmers market and concert, as two recent ideas that helped make the thoroughfare vibrant.

"The uptown section is now alive with people and activities that any business district would love to have," said Tami Sampson, owner of The Fabric Place, 727 Washington Road. "I think it is a benefit to anyone that lives in the community. ... I think it is going to have a positive impact on every business."

But Gerard Cipriani, a partner in a firm that owns 650 Washington Road, said he specifically moved his company out of the city of Pittsburgh to avoid such levies. He said his company put $3 million in improvements into the building and brought it up to 96 percent occupancy. By his calculations, they would probably be paying one-sixth of the bill for the business district.

"We left [Pittsburgh] to get away from things like that," he said.

The five-year plan, which expires in 2010, would create an area called the Washington Road Improvement District, from 600 Washington Road by Rollier's Hardware to 750 Washington Road, or the Washington Square Condominiums.

Owners of properties in the 64-parcel area would pay a proportionate share of $80,000 a year over five years.

That money would be combined with another $20,000 a year in sponsorships and grants, including $10,000 from the municipality.

The money would be used to promote the district. In the first year, marketing would include posters, a Web site, cable television ads, print ads, signs, brochures and other items. It also would fund a part-time administrator or marketing consultant.

A steering committee held several public meetings in March and June. Monday's hearing started a 45-day clock, during which property owners can vote in writing to say whether they'd support the district. If 40 percent of the property owners say they do not want it, the district will not be created.

The fees for nonprofit groups would be negotiated, said Suzanne Gagliardo, Western Regional Program Services coordinator for Pennsylvania Downtown Center, a nonprofit group that helps towns with revitalization projects.

She said she was not sure what would be done in the case of the Mt. Lebanon Parking Authority, which owns 17 percent of the property on the street, according to Chairman Bill Friedman.

George Mongell, an attorney for EJB Holdings, which owns 731 Washington Road, presented the commissioners with a letter saying the company objected to the improvement district. The letter said the marketing would have little impact on that building's tenants, which mostly are physicians, consultants and other trade offices. Of the building's 40,500 square feet, 5,400 square feet is retail.

But Mt. Lebanon commercial districts Manager Mame Bradley countered that, although the first ones to see benefit from improvement districts usually are retailers, property values tend to increase, which benefits all property owners.

Other examples of improvement districts include the Pittsburgh Downtown Partnership, which is the city's district. Mount Pleasant borough in Westmoreland County is the oldest assessing business district authority in the commonwealth, Ms. Gagliardo said.

The legislation on which the districts are based was approved in 2000.